


Romeo and Juliet Sucked

by Kingless



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: A stapler gets thrown, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Office, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Does that count as nsfw if it happened in an office??, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Smut, Humor, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Masturbation, No one got hurt, Rimming, Rivalry, Shameless Smut, Slow Burn, Smut, Supernatural Elements, Unrealistic Sex, Unsafe Sex, Werewolves, Witches, bros and hoes are equal, jeonghan has some soul searching to do, seungcheol is doing his best, some violence, terrible attempts at romance, use protection kids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:56:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23474305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kingless/pseuds/Kingless
Summary: The accounting team for Pledis was a well oiled machine. They got great results fast. But every so often, there's a hiccup in the system. And this hiccup just so happened to be a rivalry that was verging from healthy to dangerous very quickly. So Jihoon pitches a possible solve to their crisis. A retreat, where both sides of the accounting team would be forced to bond. Jihoon just hoped nobody broke any windows or bones.
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 11
Kudos: 86





	1. Two Houses, Both Alike in Dignity...Sort Of

**Author's Note:**

> i'm using this as an excuse to procrastinate and to get myself in a better head space to finish my other, longer, ongoing fic 
> 
> so here we are, it's midnight, and i'm more in love with seungcheol than i have any right to be

When Jeonghan wakes up in the morning, it takes him time to get out of bed. And up until a few months ago Jeonghan had that time. That time to rub his eyes and stretch, to check his texts and adjust to the cooler tempurature of his room. But ever since a certain somebody decided they thought it was funny to take his personal parking spot at work, Jeonghan had to throw himself out of bed and rush through his morning routine. 

This resulted in a few things. One of which was a very peeved Jeonghan. Another happened to be a rather unkempt looking Jeonghan. Which only added to the first issue. So as Jeonghan drove at a mostly legal speed he called Joshua, who had far less trouble getting out of bed and to work in the morning. After about two rings he picked up, 

"Is the spot open?" Jeonghan asked, 

"Good morning to you too" Joshua said, "yes, the spot is open, Seungcheol hasn't gotten in yet" he said, Jeonghan sighed in relief. 

"Thank god" he muttered, 

"You do know there are plenty of perfectly good spots to park in out front, right?" Joshua said, while Jeonghan was adamant about exercising his superiority over the somebody that was getting on his nerves, Joshua was fine with rolling over it if it meant less trouble for him to deal with. Jeonghan wasn't so easily satisfied. 

"Yes, but my spot is my spot. I've been parking there for six years and I won't downgrade this far into my career" Jeonghan said, making a sharp turn onto the little business street the Pledis office was located on. 

"Alright, alright" Joshua said placatingly, Jeonghan screeched into the parking lot and laid eyes on his gloriously empty spot. He grinned, slowing down so he could park properly. But the moment he let his guard down a sleek, black car came screaming into the spot from across the way. Jeonghan slammed on his breaks, mouth falling open in shock. The person driving the car parked, turned the car off, and stepped out. And when Jeonghan caught sight of a head of wind-whipped black hair, large ears, and a stupid smirk he snapped his jaw shut on a hiss of anger. Seungcheol seemed pleased at the sight of Jeonghan's car, if the grin he tossed over his shoulder on his way to the glass doors of the building was anything to go by. 

Jeonghan was forced to park two spots down from his usual spot, and when he got out he couldn't help but unleash his anger on his car's wheel. He shouted a few curses as he kicked the black rubber, seething for a moment before pushing his hair out of his face and grabbing his things. He locked his car and stormed up the pass to the doors, when he pushed the doors open and stepped onto the grey carpet inside there was a whistle from the front desk. Jeonghan found Joshua leaning against the marble counter, dark hair parted and scattered nicely across his forehead. 

"That was painful to watch" Joshua said, 

"You saw nothing, and you will say nothing about what you never saw" Jeonghan said sharply, giving his best friend a pointed look. Joshua pinched his fingers at the left corner of his mouth and pulled them across his lips in a zipping motion. Jeonghan went to the elevator, Joshua leaned away from the empty front desk to follow. "He's insufferable Shua, I swear I'm going to hit him with my car one of these days" Jeonghan said irritably as they stepped into the vacant elevator nearby, Joshua hit the third floor button and the doors slid shut before them. 

"I'm still not entirely convinced that your feuding like this over a parking spot" Joshua said, 

"It's not just the spot, it's everything! If I make numbers in the 4th percentile, he has to make them in the 5th. If I get a commendation one week, he has to get it the next, and the one after" Jeonghan went on, making the most of the two minutes of elevator time they had. 

"And then you have to make 6th percentile, get employee of the month, and beat him to the front parking spot" Joshua said, a knowing look in his gaze. Jeonghan scowled, but it lifted into a neutral expression when the elevator shifted to a stop and the doors slid open to reveal their office. It wasn't extremely busy, but Jeonghan could hear phones ringing and spotted a few of his coworkers bustling around with files in hand. 

"I'm not the one that started it Shua, I'm just finishing it" Jeonghan said, stopping at the front desk to clock in. Their secretary was looking a bit sleepy, but he still offered them a wide smile. 

"Morning guys" Vernon said, taking Joshua's ID to scan as Jeonghan dug his own ID out of his jacket pocket. Vernon handed it back and took Jeonghan's next, 

"All I mean is, maybe if you calmed down a little he would too. You're both super stubborn, so if neither of you bend this will never end" Joshua said, tucking his ID away. Vernon lit up as he scanned Jeonghan's ID, 

"Hey, that rhymed" he said, finally handing Jeonghan his ID. Joshua smiled a bit, Vernon was too cute for his own good. But he had been dating their vice-project manager Seungkwan 'secretly' for months now. 

"I know that but why should it be me? I've been here longer, I have seniority" Jeonghan said, a slight complaint in his voice. 

"Oh, are you guys talking about your rivalry with Seungcheol?" Vernon asked, 

"It's not a rivalry" Jeonghan huffed, 

"Yes it is" Joshua said blandly, Jeonghan gave him an annoyed look. 

"Why DO you guys hate each other? Is it because he's a werewolf?" Vernon asked, 

"Please, I'm not so backwards that his genetics are somehow an issue for me" Jeonghan rolled his eyes, 

"He thinks Seungcheol started one-upping him a few months ago, so he fought back by trying to one-up him" Joshua explained, 

"Ahh" Vernon said in understanding, "well, why don't you just stop trying to one-up him? Maybe he'll back off too" he suggested, Joshua gestured at Vernon with a look that said 'see?'. Jeonghan shook his head, 

"No way, if I stop then he'll win" he said, and the look Joshua gave him then was less than impressed. "I've got work to do, I'll talk to you later" Jeonghan said, waving with a flick of his wrist before he left Joshua at the front desk. He went through the main office to his shared office. Before he went in, though, he took a steadying breath. 

He was a professional, he was the head accounting officer. He would keep himself in check and display nothing but a calm persona. This was his job, he would not lose it because some stubborn, prideful werewolf wanted to get under his skin. 

With a serene smile on his face Jeonghan opened the door to his personal...shared office. And he would admit that when he met a dark gaze behind one of the two desks in the room he felt an itch of irritation. But he averted his gaze and went to his desk, settling in for the day. 

"I think I saw you kicking your tire in the parking lot, was everything okay?" Seungcheol's voice grated on Jeonghan's nerves, but with a professional air about him Jeonghan smiled and tidied up his stack of files. 

"Just some technical trouble, nothing you should concern yourself with" he answered, Seungcheol made a dubious noise. 

"You know, if you want your spot back you could always just ask" he said, Jeonghan flicked his gaze across the room. And when Seungcheol smirked at him Jeonghan felt his temper flare, 

"We don't do private parking spaces here, you got there first so it's yours...for now" Jeonghan said, tapping his keyboard to get his computer to wake up. 

"If I didn't know any better I'd say that sounded like a threat" Seungcheol said, the amusement in his voice evident. A muscle in Jeonghan's cheek twitched with annoyance,  
"Trust me, you'd know if I was threatening you" he said sharply, Seungcheol chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. 

"I'm sure" he said, Jeonghan logged onto his computer and began sorting through emails and files. If he just worked quietly and ignored him, Seungcheol would eventually get bored. So Jeonghan did his duty to his company and began writing up the reports for that month. 

Seungcheol did in fact get bored, so bored that he began doing his work. So that's what they did, only the sound of keys clicking filling their space. Maybe an hour later there was a knock on the door frame, Jeonghan glanced up. 

"I have the data from the last two weeks like you asked" it was Minghao, one of their cost accountants and another witch. A witch that didn't belong to a coven, just like Jeonghan and Joshua. And so, a friend outside of work. 

"Ah, thank you, were there any discrepancies?" Jeonghan asked, standing to take the file from Minghao. 

"I wouldn't know, most of the files were locked. They belonged to the A Team, not us" Minghao explained, Jeonghan bristled almost immediately. But he calmed himself and cleared his throat, 

"Seungcheol, could you unlock the files so that Minghao can get to them?" Jeonghan asked politely, Seungcheol hummed. 

"No, we have Mingyu collecting the data for our sector. Don't worry about it" he answered, not even bothering to look up from his computer. 

"I have to have the reports for the entire branch done by the end of this month, I need all the data. Not just ours" Jeonghan said, keeping his voice as level as possible. Seungcheol finally looked up from his computer, 

"So we'll put it together at the end of the month, let us handle our sector and you handle yours" he said, and the glint in his gaze really made Jeonghan's hackles rise. 

"Why must you make my life so difficult?" he snapped, 

"We were split down the middle for a reason, we do our share of the work and your sector does yours" Seungcheol said, tipping his head a bit. 

"And the reports are joint, I didn't lock you out when it was your month to do them" Jeonghan said, smacking the file in his hand down on his desk. 

"Um...we could probably find a way around it, I could-" 

"No!" Jeonghan cut Minghao off, "your insubordination has gone too far Seungcheol" Jeonghan said, tone sharp. Seungcheol stood, 

"Last I checked I'm not your subordinate" he said, a growl in his voice. "Regardless of how highly you think of yourself you're getting paid the same rate as I am" he said, 

"And that's where our similarties end, because fact is I've been here way longer and my quality of work will always be better than yours" Jeonghan said harshly, Seungcheol scoffed.

"Please, I did in five years what you couldn't do in ten" he said, 

"If you don't shut your damn mouth" Jeonghan seethed, 

"Um, is everything alright? We heard yelling" a voice at the door said, Jeonghan whipped his head around. Now, instead of just Minghao, half the office stood at their door. Curious eyes peering in at the ticking time bomb that was Jeonghan's temper and Seungcheol's pride. 

"We're fine" Jeonghan said tightly, 

"It doesn't look like you're fine" Joshua said from behind Seokmin, 

"I don't have time to deal with this, I have a meeting" Seungcheol said, gathering a file from his desk and striding toward the door. 

"What? Meeting" Jeonghan ran around his desk to follow him out, "we don't have any scheduled meetings" he said, catching up to Seungcheol as he moved through the crowd of their peers. 

"No, 'we' don't, but I do" Seungcheol said, 

"We're both heads, why am I not privvy to this oh so special meeting?" Jeonghan asked, scurrying ahead to cut him off. Seungcheol was forced to stop about half way to the other end of the office, where their project manager and executive offices were. Seungcheol leveled Jeonghan with a cold look, 

"Because I'm making a case against you" Seungcheol said, it felt like a slap in the face. Jeonghan's expression fell and his lips parted in shock, 

"Wh- a case?" he said, dumbfounded. 

"For discrimination" Seungcheol went on, Jeonghan was taken aback once more. 

"Discrimination?!" he balked, Seungcheol brushed past Jeonghan without further explanation. Jeonghan turned to watch him go to their executive's office, knocking once before opening the door and disappearing inside. The word bounced around Jeonghan's head like the bubbles on an old computer screen saver. He was buffering, trying to figure out what the hell he'd done. But he wasn't given much time to ponder since he hadn't been the only one present the last two minutes. 

"Wow, he's finally going to do it" it was Junhui that spoke, seeming a bit impressed. Jeonghan turned to face them, realizing the entire A and B teams were gathered now. Even Vernon and Chan, the intern. 

"But Jeonghan hasn't done anything to him" Seokmin said, frowning. Mingyu scoffed, 

"Please, he's had it out for him since day one" he said, 

"That can't be true" Seungkwan said, looking a bit distressed. 

"They're always at each other's throats, I just didn't know he was anti-werewolf" Wonwoo said, sending a cold look Jeonghan's way. And Jeonghan wanted to defend himself, but he really had to think about this. Was he always fighting with Seungcheol because he was a werewolf? It never felt that way. But maybe it was true, because werewolves were naturally prideful and ornery. And Jeonghan was almost as territorial as him too. 

"Jeonghan isn't anti-werewolf" Joshua said, rolling his eyes. 

"Of course you'd say that, you're up his ass all the time" Mingyu said, tone sharpening. 

"Excuse me?" Joshua said, gaze narrowing dangerously. 

"It makes sense that the entire B team is made up of witches" Wonwoo muttered, 

"I swear, every werewolf I meet thinks everyone is out to get them" Minghao said irritably, 

"I wonder if that's maybe because society is stacked that way" Chan jumped in, seeming a bit ticked off about the whole thing despite being one of the only humans in their office.

"Who let this kid in the building?" Joshua called, waving a hand dismissively. This seemed to truly anger Chan, though. 

"At least I don't kiss ass just to get a pay raise" Chan exploded, and that was all it took. Full on yelling filled the office and Jeonghan finally shook himself from his funk. 

"Hey, cut it out" he tried, no one was listening now. Jeonghan muttered a curse, rubbing his temples. 

"What the hell is going on?" a voice asked, Jeonghan turned as Seungcheol, their project manager Jihoon, and their executive Youngmin appeared from the back offices. 

"U-um" Jeonghan didn't have a real answer for him, aside from 'everyone's lost their minds'. 

"Take that back!" Mingyu snarled, 

"Bite me" Joshua growled, Mingyu whirled around and picked up a stapler. His aim was off but the power behind the throw was evident in the shattering of glass that followed moments after the stapler left his hand. As the window on the far side of the office collapsed, silence fell over them like a blanket. 

"Everyone in the meeting room, now" Jihoon said tersely, Youngmin looked far too shocked to speak. Everyone moved, hustling to meeting room A. Jeonghan included. He couldn't look anyone in the eye, not after all that. 

It took minutes for all of them to gather, Jeonghan stood toward the back, head down as Youngmin entered with Jihoon and Seungcheol. 

"I cannot fathom what was going through your heads when you decided to make our office into a zoo" Youngmin said, the shame in the room was palpable. "But I will not stand for such an utter lack of professionalism and common sense" he spat the last few words, making Jeonghan wince. "If it were up to me, I'd fire all of you and start fresh" Jeonghan jerked his head up, fear written clearly on his face. He would never be able to live with himself if the whole office got laid off because of something stupid he'd done. "But lucky for you, Jihoon has convinced me to let him handle this little...discrepancy" Youngmin went on, Jeonghan turned his gaze to their project manager. He was a ways shorter than the rest of them but he commanded respect easily enough. 

"I want to start with this, I have never seen this office in such disarray. I'm disappointed that a rumor could turn the most competent group of people I've ever met into such savages" Jihoon said, Jeonghan flushed with shame once more. "But I know I've seen you all work together before, and you've accomplished great things. I want to see that again" he said, "so I've proposed a compromise. Both team A and B will be attending a two week long retreat where you'll be focusing on team work and resolving internal issues in a healthy way, if you fail to come back with a certificate of completion you will all be sent to different branches" he finished, there was a slight murmur among them. 

"Since things seem to have boiled over we'll move the dates up to this upcoming week, the information will be sent to you through email. So, seeing as how there are only about two hours left in the work day you're all dismissed, without pay" Youngmin said, no one seemed happy with the outcome of their impromptu meeting. Jeonghan especially. He was ashamed that he'd caused such an upset, so before anyone could catch him he left the office. He practically ran back to his own office, ready to grab his things and make an escape. 

He was logging off his computer when someone came in, Jeonghan glanced up half expecting Joshua to be standing there. But it was Seungcheol that entered, going to his desk. Jeonghan averted his gaze again, turning his computer off and gathering his things. He hated the thick silence between them, and he couldn't help but feel like maybe this really was all his fault. He went around his desk but slowed about half way to the door, and then he stopped. He refused to look at Seungcheol but he needed to start fixing this otherwise it would be more than his job at stake. 

"I never meant any of this to be malicious, it was all pride" Jeonghan said, 

"I'm sure" Seungcheol said, the sarcasm in his voice making Jeonghan clench his jaw a bit. 

"Your heritage doesn't mean a damn thing when you're a bad at your job. Human, witch, or werewolf. You earn respect the same way everyone else does" Jeonghan finally lifted his gaze and found Seungcheol watching him, "the only reason you ever got on my nerves was because you acted like hot shit a month into your term while I've been here busting my ass for years" he said bitterly, "if you weren't such a pompous jerk maybe we could've been friends" he said, 

"We can never be friends" Seungcheol said, Jeonghan bristled. "Because I am better than you, and you never would have admitted that. You still won't" he finished, Jeonghan turned away and left the office without another word. 

He was right, he'd never admit that. Because it wasn't true...it wasn't. 

Jeonghan didn't go straight home after clocking out. He decided he wanted to drink his sorrows away, so about an hour later you'd find him sprawled in a booth at his second favorite bar. About seven drinks too far from the shore and swimming in his own self loathing. He was twisting the little umbrella in his drink, murmuring nonesense against the back of his hand where it rested on the table. 

"It's only been an hour and you're this far gone, huh?" a voice said, Jeonghan glanced up as a small group of people approached his table. He recognized Joshua first, then Minghao, Vernon, Seungkwan, Soonyoung, and Seokmin. "Come on, scoot over" Joshua pushed gently at Jeonghan, who shifted over with a slight pout, dragging his drink along the table with him. 

"Today has been bananas" Seungkwan said, 

"How are we supposed to spend a whole two weeks with them? They're animals" Minghao said, looking a bit irritated. Jeonghan heaved a sigh, his lips looser than ever thanks to all of the lovely drinks the cute bartender made him. 

"It'll be alright, might even be fun if everyone gets along" he said, still stirring his drink with his little umbrella. All the emotion he'd been silently drowning himself in began to surface, "I can't believe I caused all that, I should've just admitted defeat. It isn't fair that I dragged everyone into this" he said, 

"It was a long time coming Hannie, don't worry about it" Seokmin said, 

"I don't get it, you said you didn't hate werewolves" Vernon said, folding his arms on the table in front of him. 

"I don't! I like them!" Jeonghan cried, throwing his arms out and letting them fall onto the table as well. "I thought Seungcheol was super hot when he started at Pledis, but then he started making me feel like a crappy accountant. He took all my big jobs and did them faster than I could, he started leading the office. And then Youngmin-" Jeonghan had begun crying, he wasn't sure when or why. He sniffed heavily, "and then Youngmin split the office into two sectors because he liked how Seungcheol ran things, and because I'm outdated, old" Jeonghan was fully sobbing now, Joshua patted him on the back gently. 

"You're not outdated Hannie" Seungkwan said, a pinch of sympathy in his soft face. 

"Yeah, plus, you're a good head officer" Soonyoung said, "I still use your filing method, Seungcheol's is super messy and inefficient" he said, speaking behind his hand like it was some big secret. Jeonghan rubbed his nose, sniffling. 

"We'll come back to the 'hot' comment later, but I agree. You're a great head officer Hannie" Joshua said, if Jeonghan had been anymore sober he would've slammed his face into the table top at admitting that he thought Seungcheol was hot. But really, anyone with eyes could see how attractive he was. So Jeonghan only wiped his face some more, tears rolling off his eyelashes as he blinked. 

"Thanks...but it's true, Seungcheol is a better head officer than I am. I just...I've been there so long, I hated feeling like I was being replaced" he said, feeling a bit miserable now. 

"I don't like depressed Jeonghan, come on, let's drink so we can forget this ever happened" Minghao said, reaching for the menus. 

"Okay" Jeonghan said, lips pouted and eyes red. And drink they did...

~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~

Seungcheol could admit that he was still a bit wound up. Even among his friends. It could be due to the fact that they were still keyed up as well. The drinks were coming down the bar, but it only seemed to rile them up more. 

"I can't believe they didn't just fire Jeonghan, why are they bringing us into this?" Mingyu complained, a big mug of beer in his hand and a pinch in his brow. Seungcheol was turning his own cup of beer idly, staring into and contemplating the entire day. 

"Because you tried to kill Joshua with a stapler" Junhui helpfully pointed out, Mingyu scowled. 

"I wasn't trying to kill him, he said I smelled like wet dog, it was retribution" he said, taking a hefty swig of his beer. 

"Either way, spending two weeks with a bunch of werewolf hating witches isn't going to be easy" Wonwoo sighed, holding his own glass of beer between his palms. Seungcheol didn't like that, 'werewolf hating witches'. In spite of his own claims he didn't really think Jeonghan hated werewolves. Their last conversation made him certain of that. But Jeonghan's pride was the real issue. He couldn't deal with being shown up, he was a terrible loser and it was taking its toll on all of them. 

"I feel bad though" Chan murmured, since he was still about a year shy of legal he was drinking coke. And he was designated driver to about half of them. "I didn't mean to say that stuff to Joshua, I just got mad" He said, grimacing a bit. 

"Don't worry about it, I've heard Joshua say worse about some day time talk show host he hates" Mingyu waved a hand to dismiss the worry, and this was Seungcheol's other problem. 

They were all friends. Or at least, they had been. When Seungcheol had arrived at the Pledis accounting office, it had been a care free, functional environment. Everyone was friendly and Friday night drinks were a regular thing. At least, until Seungcheol started making good on the promises he'd made during his interview. To shift the whole office into the next gear, improving efficiency and results tenfold. While Seungcheol had been making leaps and bounds in his personal career, his relationship with Jeonghan had deteriorated before his very eyes. And it really, really bothered him. 

Seungcheol had never spoken to anyone about it, but his crush on Jeonghan had never really gone away. Even now, when he had been ready to get him fired, Seungcheol wished it had gone any other way. He wished they could start over and maybe on the right foot this time around. They could be partners and bring Pledis to another level. And maybe, if he was charming enough, kind enough, if he tried hard enough then maybe he and Jeonghan could have been more than that. The very idea plagued him now. Even if this whole retreat fixed the dynamics in the office Jeonghan would never really forgive him. Seungcheol had crossed a line he couldn't come back from. It had been an attempt at pushing Jeonghan to back down, to let their rivalry go and be colleagues or leave. That plan had backfired, obviously. Tough love had never been Seungcheol's forte, anyway. 

"You look sad" Seungcheol was pulled from his thoughts by Junhui, Junhui who was weirdly perceptive and always knew when Seungcheol was feeling off. 

"I'm a little upset, yeah" Seungcheol said, hoping to narrowly avoid the topic of his feelings. Junhui hummed, 

"What about?" he asked, Seungcheol scoffed. 

"It's obvious" he said, avoiding Junhui's gaze now. 

"About the fight? About the retreat? Or, because now there's no way Joenghan will like you back?" Seungcheol had taken a drink of his beer at the wrong time, because at Junhui's words he gasped and began to choke. He hacked, gripping the bar for dear life. 

"Holy shit" Mingyu said, lifting his beer away from Seungcheol's general vicinity as he spewed. 

"Are you alright?" Wonwoo asked, a look of concern and disgust on his face. Seungcheol coughed hard, wiping his mouth and catching his breath. 

"F-fine, I'm fine" he said, voice rough. 

"Gross, you got it on my pants" Mingyu groaned, pushing away from the bar and standing up. 

"I've got a tide stick in my car, hold on" Chan said, hopping off his stool. 

"I think I'm ready to head out actually, I'll see you all monday" Wonwoo sighed, sliding off his own stool. 

"See you guys" Junhui chirped, Seungcheol could only offer a wave as he gathered his bearings. The three of them headed off, so that left Seungcheol and Junhui. "That's why you always swallow Cheollie" Junhui said, Seungcheol turned a scathing look on him. Junhui only smiled, "I know I wasn't supposed to find out, but remember a few months ago when you were acting really weird on Jeonghan's birthday?" he asked, and Seungcheol flushed with emberassment and a sense of foreboding. Jeonghan's birthday, when Seungcheol had gone out of his way to find his favorite pastry place that he talked wistfully about every so often. When Seungcheol had chickened out of giving Jeonghan that box of heart shaped macarons because it felt too forward. When Seungcheol had tossed the macarons on Junhui's desk in hopes of getting rid of the evidence as inconspicuously as possible. 

"What about it?" Seungcheol asked, hoping to appear calm, though his heart was skipping beats every so often. 

"You left a note in the box of macarons you gave me, I believe it said 'I can only offer you these instead of my heart, but I hope to-" Seungcheol shoved a hand against Junhui's mouth, effectively shutting him up. 

"Alright, shut up" he hissed, Junhui nodded and Seungcheol took his hand back. "Don't ever mention that to anyone" he said tensely, Junhui crossed his heart. 

"Scouts honor" he said, Seungcheol rubbed his face with a frustrated noise. So much for being descreet, he knew those macarons were a bad idea. "There's something I don't get though" Seungcheol leveled Junhui with a narrow eyed look, daring him to overstep his boundaries. "Why did you think outshining Jeonghan would get him to like you?" Junhui asked, Seungcheol really didn't want to have this conversation. But he needed to set the record straight, 

"I wasn't trying to outshine him" he said, and when he didn't speak for a moment too long Junhui nudged him with an elbow. 

"Then what were you trying to do?" he asked, Seungcheol scratched at a spot on the bar. 

"I was...I was hoping that maybe if I got good numbers he'd notice me, he was the head officer at the time. So I figured, since he loved his job so much, if I was good at it he'd like me too" he explained, voice fading into a mumble. 

"That's so cute Cheollie" Junhui said, grinning. Seungcheol punched him in the arm, 

"It's not cute, it was stupid. Now Jeonghan thinks I hate him, and he hates me, and now the whole office is in trouble" He said, "this couldn't have gone worse" he muttered, 

"Come on, don't think like that! What if this is finally your chance to explain yourself? A whole two weeks at a nice resort where we'll be forced to talk our feelings out, it's the perfect opportunity" Junhui said, nudging Seungcheol some more. And when he really thought about it, maybe Junhui was right. If he leveled with Jeonghan, explained the whole reason their feud had begun in the first place, maybe he'd laugh it off. Maybe he'd even want to repair the bridge between them. 

"Yeah, maybe" Seungcheol couldn't help the smile as he picked up his glass of beer and took a long, soothing drink. And then he realized something... "I'm terrible at romance" he said, staring blankly across the bar now. 

"Don't worry, you've got me on your side. Some call me the love doctor" Junhui wiggled his eyebrows in what Seungcheol assumed was supposed to be a seductive manor. And then he covered his face with his hands, he was so screwed...


	2. Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow...Until It's Not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen, i just need a vacation, and this is the closest i'm gonna get to a vicarious one 
> 
> also, soonyoung is my boi <3

The day of reckoning came far too quickly. But Monday morning Jeonghan was stuffed into Joshua's car along with Minghao, Soonyoung, Seokmin, and Joshua himself. They had received the email with all the information for their flights and something like an itinerary the same night they had drunk themselves stupid at Jeonghan's second favorite bar. It had taken Jeonghan another day to recover well enough to make proper arrangements. It had taken him the same amount of time to realize that he regretted a few things. One of which was definitely drinking that much vodka in one sitting. The other was letting Seungcheol's pride get under his skin. 

As they maneuvered the traffic of the airport, Jeonghan made his final decision. He would handle this professionally. He would hide all the irritation and insecurity deep inside of himself and get through this without sacrificing even an ounce of dignity. He could do this. 

Joshua muttered a few curses as he finally reached the parking lot for long term stays. 

"I hate airports" he huffed, pulling into the closest spot he could find before turning the car off. 

"I think they're fun, you can have a beer at eight in the morning and no one will say anything" Soonyoung said in a chipper tone as they all climbed out of the car, 

"Should we put you in AA?" Seokmin asked, 

"Nah, I don't even like beer, I just like to have the option" Soonyoung said, going around to the trunk as Joshua popped it open. Jeonghan went to grab his luggage with the rest of them, 

"Vernon texted me, he said they're already boarding so we should hurry" Minghao said, checking his phone. 

"Do we have to run?" Seokmin asked, already looking dismayed at the very idea of sprinting through an airport with luggage. 

"No, but we should hurry" Minghao answered, his phone rang suddenly. He dug it back out of his pocket and glanced at the screen before answering it. "Yeah?" he said, there was a moment of silence. "Ah, okay..." he hung up, put his phone back into his pocket and nodded. "We should run" he said, Jeonghan cursed and picked his luggage up. 

It was a mad dash across the parking lot into the airport, swerving through people and searching for their terminal. 

"It's times like these I wish I had a different classification" Joshua said, panting as they ran. 

"You don't like being a conjurer?" Soonyoung asked, just as out of breath as they ran across linoleum to security. 

"Not when I could snap my fingers and be halfway across this damn airport" Joshua huffed, they tried to rush through security but when they took a look at Jeonghan's passport and saw that he was a witch they slowed the process way down. They searched their things thoroughly, they were even patting them down. 

"We're going to miss our plane" Seokmin said, chewing his lip as he waited on the other side of the metal detector. Since he was human they had let him through rather quickly.

"I'm not even a witch, what are you searching me for!?" Soonyoung complained loudly as the security guard patted him down, no answer was given to him. Not even a rhetorical one. 

"This is ridiculous" Minghao said, moving toward the security officer that had finished patting Joshua down. "Hey, watch it" Minghao snapped when the officer patted his butt a little too firmly, it took some time but they were let through not long after. They sprinted to their terminal and made it right in the nick of time. They got their tickets scanned and were let on board. Everyone was seated and they found their coworkers easily enough. 

"Hey, what took you guys so long?" Seungkwan asked, 

"We got frisked" Jeonghan said, going to put his luggage over his seat. 

"Yeah, did you guys get Vriska?" Vernon asked, 

"You mean the lady who grabbed my ass?" Minghao asked, going to the next row where his seat was located. 

"Yeah! She's cool" Vernon said, Minghao rolled his eyes. Jeonghan shut the compartment where his luggage was now stashed, then he slid into his seat against the window. He settled with a long sigh, Joshua slid in beside him and Seokmin sat in the aisle seat. The person in front of him leaned their seat back a bit, Jeonghan frowned at how little leg space he already had. 

"Excuse me-" Jeonghan paused when Seungcheol glanced back at him, he pursed his lips and leaned back, folding his arms. "Nevermind" he murmured, Seungcheol gave him a long, considering look. And then he sat his seat up, turning to Wonwoo to talk about something Jeonghan didn't bother listening to. Jeonghan decided it was a small mercy and dug his phone and earphones out of his pocket, popping them in and playing some music to calm him. He wasn't necessarily scared of flying, but he definitely wasn't a fan. 

The island the resort was on was called Waititi, the resort was called Evergreen Village. It seemed nice, plenty of natural sights and spas. If he wasn't going to be forced to 'bond' with the office Jeonghan could almost consider it a vacation. He supposed there would be time to enjoy their time there, but he couldn't deny the tension he harbored since the whole office incident. He let go of a soft breath, just remember Jeonghan...calm, dignified. He would be just fine. 

The plane ride wasn't all that long, a few hours. And when they landed in Japan they had to take a smaller plane to the island. It was louder and scarier, but Joshua let Jeonghan hold his hand tightly enough to lose some circulation. However, when the island came into view his fear was forgotten. It was even more gorgeous in person. 

Blue water, white sand, greenery filling the vast space around the large resort. The plane landed on a small, concrete runway on the edge of the island. Since they were the only ones aside from three of four tourists, they got off the plane they were greeted by concierge. And a man in a hawaiian print shirt. 

"Welcome Pledis accountants and counterparts" he called their attention, "my name is Eric, I'll be facilitating your retreat while you're here" he said, smiling serenely. Jeonghan already didn't like him, so he busied himself with fixing his luggage. "We'll take you through the checking in process, give you some time to settle in. Then we'll meet for a prelimanary meeting. Please, this way" he gestured toward the path heading toward the tall resort that peeked just over the line of trees. Without much preamble they made their way up the path. 

There were lanterns and torches all over the place, within the island undergrowth and trees. Jeonghan wondered what it would look like at night, he was glad it was something to look forward to. The main building lobby was floored with a sort of auburn stone that made Jeonghan's luggage bounce as he walked. The front desk was manned by a woman with a bright smile, 

"We're-" 

"Is there-" Jeonghan bit his tongue as he and Seungcheol spoke at the same time, 

"Don't worry about checking in, I checked you guys in yesterday" a voice said, Jeonghan was startled by the presence of their project manager. He was dressed in non-work attire, which was already strange in itself. But he wore a pleased smile, a fruity drink with an umbrella in his left hand. 

"What are you doing here? I thought this was supposed to be some kind of therapy retreat" Seungcheol asked, 

"It is, I need therapy to keep me from murdering all of you" Jihoon sipped his drink, "I won't be around much, Eric will be leading your sessions. All expenses are paid, so don't worry about anything else. In the meantime, you can find me in the sauna" he said, waving as he sauntered away. Jeonghan choked when he spotted the back of Jihoon's shirt, in big blue letters it read 'Don't Talk To Me, I'm On Vacation'. Soonyoung busted into obnoxious giggles, Seungkwan and Vernon joined him moments later. 

"That wasn't a mirage, right?" Junhui said, the rest of them bursted into giggles and chortles. 

"He deserves it, he puts up with all of us more than anyone" Jeonghan said, smiling a bit. 

"That's true" Seuncheol agreed, Jeonghan glanced at him. There was no reluctance in his voice, despite it being Jeonghan who was agreeing with. He even had a small smile on his face, gaze softened. It was a good look on him, this calm. Jeonghan looked away quickly as Eric approached them from behind the front desk, 

"Alright, so there are six rooms, two people per room" he said, holding what looked like key cards in his hands. "I'll let you all get settled, but please meet me in the main square that way-" he gestured through a pair of glass doors across the lobby, "in twenty minutes" he said, he began handing out key cards. Jeonghan took his and immediately went for the elevator, 

"Slow down" Joshua said, catching up to him. 

"Sorry, I just want to have a minute to lay down. That plane ride made my back hurt" Jeonghan said, waiting at the elevator with him. 

"You sure it's not because you want to run away from Seungcheol and his goons?" Joshua asked, Jeonghan rolled his eyes. 

"They aren't his goons, and I'm not running" he said, 

"Alright, that wasn't fair of me, but you are running" Joshua said, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. They stepped in, the doors sliding shut seconds later. Jeonghan checked his room key for his new room number, 305. He hit the third floor button, the elevator shifted into motion. 

"I just don't want to make anything worse than it is, if I can keep contact to a minimum while we're here then we won't get into any arguments. Then, when the two weeks are up, we'll get the certificate and get off scott free" Jeonghan explained his reasoning, the elevator shifted to a stop with a ding and the doors slid open to reveal a corridor with coral colored walls and dark red carpeting. 

"I don't know about scott free, but all you'll be doing is avoiding the problem" Joshua said, following Jeonghan down the hall to find room 305. 

"Shua, I'm not going to talk my feelings out with a guy who wears hawaiian print. Besides, it's not like Seungcheol is ever going to admit he was wrong either" he said, he found the room and tried the key. The door lock clicked, he opened it and went inside. Two beds with floral print bed sheets, two nightstands, a dresser, a tv, a big window over the bed, and a door that lead to a nice, white bathroom. Jeonghan liked it. 

"I say this because you're my best friend, but Seungcheol is a lot better at swallowing his pride than you are" Joshua said, lingering by the dresser and tv idly. Jeonghan scoffed,  
"Please, he's just as bad as I am" he said, hefting his luggage onto the bed to find his slippers. 

"Whatever you say" Joshua said placatingly, "but if I were you, I'd consider taking this as an opportunity to really talk this out with him. While you have a level playing ground" he said, 

"Even if I wanted to, I doubt he'd talk to me. He thinks I'm this racist wolf hater" Jeonghan rolled his wrist in a flippant gesture, 

"And you can set that straight" Joshua prompted, 

"Shua, I've already tried. All he did was insult me" Jeonghan said, avoiding his friends gaze because maybe that wasn't the whole truth. 

"Come on Hannie" Joshua said, and Jeonghan didn't have to look at him to know he was giving him the look that translated roughly into 'you can't be serious'. So Jeonghan kept looking for his slippers. "I just think-" the door to the room clicked suddenly, opening to reveal the man himself. Jeonghan straightened up, his slippers finally in hand. 

"What are you doing here?" he asked, Seungcheol blinked as he glanced at Jeonghan, then Joshua, and back to Jeonghan. 

"Um, this is my room" Seungcheol said, showing them the key card that did in fact have the number 305 stamped on it. Jeonghan dropped his slippers, oh...oh no...

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Seungcheol had gotten a good look at Jeonghan's key card before he took off. And his own key card had the number 302 stamped on it. So he took sneaky glances at the other key cards in his coworker's hands. He spotted 305 in Junhui's hand, perfect! 

"Junhui, trade me" Seungcheol said lowly, pulling him aside. 

"Huh? What for?" Junhui asked, 

"Jeonghan has room 305" Seungcheol explained, Junhui blinked. And then it seemed to dawn on him, 

"Oh! Okay, yeah, here" he handed Seungcheol the keycard, Seungcheol traded them and patted Junhui on the shoulder. 

"I'm gonna go try to talk to him, wish me luck" Seungcheol said, ready to race after Jeonghan. But Junhui grabbed him by the arm, 

"Wait, Cheollie, you need to have a plan. Everytime you try to talk to him you just get angry, remember?" he said, and Seungcheol was really regretting letting Junhui in on his problem. Because he was right. Seungcheol got frustrated pretty quickly when it came to Jeonghan. And only because while he wanted to come out and tell him how much he liked him and get it overwith, Jeonghan wasn't open to receiving anything like that. So Seungcheol had developed a really terrible defense mechanism. If he was rude to Jeonghan first, he could protect himself from any sort of rejection. It had worked well for him when they were enemies, but now that Seungcheol really wanted to fix things it wasn't working in his favor anymore. In fact, it was making things that much more difficult. 

"So what am I supposed to do?" Seungcheol asked, genuinely at a loss. 

"Just take it easy, show him you guys can be civil first. Baby steps" Junhui prompted, Seungcheol nodded as he mulled his words over. Civil, he could be civil. 

"Okay, I won't say anything yet" Seungcheol said finally, 

"Good, I'm gonna go see who I got saddled with" Junhui said, 

"Who got room 302?" it was Minghao that called, Junhui blinked and glanced at his keycard. And then he groaned, 

"You have an issue with Minghao?" Seungcheol asked curiously, Junhui rubbed the back of his neck. 

"We kissed at the Christmas party last year, he's been kinda frigid ever since" he said, grimacing a bit. Seungcheol snorted, he was learning more and more about Junhui everyday.

"Good luck with that, I'm gonna go put my things away" Seungcheol said, adjusting the strap of his duffle bag before leaving their group to head up to his new room. His new room he'd be sharing with Jeonghan. As Seungcheol took the elevator up he calmed himself, baby steps, just like Junhui said. 

He found the room easily enough, he put the key in the door and opened it, stepping in. He glanced up and found not only Jeonghan but Joshua as well, 

"What are you doing here?" Jeonghan asked, 

"Um, this is my room" Seungcheol said, hesitating before holding up the room key. The look on Jeonghan's face was just shy of tragic, he dropped the pink bunny slippers he'd been holding as he stared at the room key. Joshua shifted on his feet, 

"I'm gonna go, see you guys downstairs" he said, Seungcheol moved into the room so Joshua could get by. The door swung closed with a soft click, leaving them in almost deafening silence. Seungcheol glanced at Jeonghan, who had began to unpack feverishly. Seungcheol decided not to say anything, going what he assumed would be his bed. He dropped his duffle bag on it, unzipping it and pulling his toiletries bag out. He fiddled with it for a moment, trying to figure out if he should really not say anything. It took a few moments of contemplation before Seungcheol opened his mouth, but Jeonghan beat him to the punch. 

"While we're here, I want you to know that I will not be discussing anything at length with you" that cold tone made Seungcheol deflate a bit, "I will be perfectly civil, but let me get one thing straight. We've both burned the bridge, friendship is out of the question" Jeonghan said, stuffing a sweater back into his luggage. "We will get the certificate and pretend things went well, we'll be the perfect image of work colleagues. But that's all we'll ever be, colleagues" Jeonghan said, finally leveling a firm look on Seungcheol. Seungcheol swallowed the spit in his mouth as he nodded, this was going to be way harder than he first thought. As Jeonghan lifted his luggage, kneeling to shove it under his bed, Seungcheol wondered if there was even a point. Jeonghan obviously hated Seungcheol, he was right, the bridge was burnt. 

Jeonghan left first, and Seungcheol couldn't help but sit on the edge of his bed and wonder. He wondered if things had been different where they would be right now. He wondered if there was even the sliver of a chance that Jeonghan would change his mind. He wondered why he hadn't just grown a pair and talked to Jeonghan sooner. With a rain cloud hanging over his head Seungcheol decided he'd just go downstairs and wait for their director to come talk to them. 

The main square was decorated with colorful glass embedded in the concrete and plenty of palm fronds along its sides. It seemed like everyone was gathered there, so when Seungcheol joined them Eric clapped his hands together to get their attention. 

"Alright, let's do introductions once more, so if you could tell me your name and your favorite thing to do to relax that would be great" he said, Seungcheol could hear Mingyu huff through his nose. Seungcheol thought it was a little ridiculous too, but he played along for Jihoon's sake. 

"I'm Choi Seungcheol, I like to read when I have free time" Seungcheol stated for everyone to hear, it got the ball rolling well enough. Everyone introduced themselves, Seungcheol paid special attention to Jeonghan, who liked to nap in his spare time. Once everyone was introduced and Eric seemed satisfied he clapped again, 

"Great, it's nice to meet all of you" he said, "now, let's go over some ground rules. One, this is a safe space, you are welcome to share anything you like with the group or with any one person, myself included" he began, "two, insults are prohibited. Making your opinion known and insulting someone are two very different things. Three, violence is absolutely prohibited. I was told someone used a stapler as a weapon recently, so I want to make sure you hear me on that one" he smiled, Chan snickered a bit at the embarrassed look on Mingyu's face. "Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about why you're here. Would anyone like to start?" he asked, there was a moment of silence. 

"The only reason we're here is because someone doesn't know how to get their head out of their ass" Wonwoo said snidely, 

"Please" Seokmin scoffed, 

"I'm not wrong, if Jeonghan didn't hate werewolves-" 

"I don't hate werewolves" Jeonghan snapped, seeming on edge. Seungcheol opened his mouth to intervene, but again, he was a little too slow. 

"If you didn't act like such animals maybe this wouldn't have been a problem in the first place" Minghao said, and then all hell broke loose. The arguing and yelling reaching a crescendo, and then the blare of an air horn cut through the sound. Seungcheol winced, covering his ears and looking in Eric's direction. He wore a pressed smile, the air horn in his hand a bright red. It may have been an obnoxious way to get them to quiet down, but it certainly worked. Aside from the grumble of irritation no one was yelling anymore. 

"Alright, I think we should explore this. Now, if someone could explain the beginning of this argument for me without insulting each other. Remember rule two!" Eric chirped, holding up two fingers. Soonyoung cleared his throat, 

"There's a misunderstanding about Jeonghan and Seungcheol, and everyone is making it their own business" he explained, wincing at Mingyu's glare. Soonyoung had always been a good middle ground for them, he wasn't a witch or werewolf. But he was a shape shifter, in the literal and metaphoric sense. While Soonyoung was always unabashedly himself, he was also good at reading people and adjusting his interactions with them to ensure their comfort around him. He was a good person, Seungcheol liked him. 

"I see....and Jeonghan and Seungcheol, you're the supervisors of your office?" Eric asked, 

"We're both head officers, but I'm five years his senior" Jeonghan explained, 

"Ah, well, here's the great thing about relationships such as yours" Eric began, hooking his air horn to his waist. "It's much like a bee hive or an ant hill, you've got all your worker bees. And as long as your nurture them and treat them well, they will take care of your hive and you. But when you two start fighting and things turned bad between you, your worker bees become agitated. Unrest and tension will rip your bee hive apart" he explained, Seungcheol didn't like the analogy very much, but he could understand the meaning behind it. He glanced at Jeonghan, who was staring hard at the ground, a pinch in his brow. "There's a lot to unpack here, but for now I'd like to do an exercise. Pair off, and our two head bees, please pair up" Eric clapped a few times, they all shifted to comply. 

Once they were paired up, and by paired up Seungcheol means standing within a foot of each other while not making eye contact. Eric weaved through them, assessing each pair and adjusting accordingly. 

"This is what you're going to do, make eye contact with each other and say one word that comes to mind. You can say a few words each, I'll give you about three minutes to do this" Eric explained, Seungcheol felt his stomach drop a bit. Eye contact, okay, he could do this. He turned to Jeonghan, who had faced him with a deep frown on his face. Their gazes met and Seungcheol had to hold his breath for a moment, they were silent though. Seungcheol shifted on his feet, 

"Um...smart" he began, Jeonghan's brow twitched. 

"Tall" he answered, okay, at least it wasn't an insult. Because Seungcheol was more than certain that a silly rule wasn't going to keep Jeonghan from speaking his mind. 

"Kind" Seungcheol went on, Jeonghan pursed his lips a bit. 

"Brown eyes" he said, he was really hell bent on keeping this neutral. Seungcheol wasn't so keen on that. 

"Gorgeous" he said, Jeonghan's gaze wavered in shock. A few emotions passed over his face before he settled on stiff annoyance, 

"Dishonest" he said finally, Seungcheol scoffed. 

"Beautiful" he said, Jeonghan's jaw ticked. 

"Obnoxious" he said, Seungcheol felt his temper flaring now. 

"Considerate" he gritted out, 

"Whiny" Jeonghan spat, Seungcheol growled and Jeonghan took a step back. 

"Alright!" Eric clapped, "I think we'll stop here for today" he said, Seungcheol turned around and paced to the edge of the square where Wonwoo and Vernon stood. They had been paired together, it seemed. 

"Cheollie, you okay?" Wonwoo asked, Seungcheol grunted in answer. 

"Dang, you and Hannie are red" Vernon said, leaning over to peer past Seungcheol at Jeonghan. Seungcheol followed his gaze, while all he could really see was an expression pinched with anger Seungcheol did notice how red his ears were. He couldn't help the smirk, folding his arms as Eric closed out their session. 

"You're welcome to explore the grounds, everything is available to you. But make sure to get plenty of rest, tomorrow we'll be taking a hike to the Taiwa Falls" he said, everyone went their own way. Seungcheol watched Jeonghan leave with the rest of his team. He huffed to himself. Forget hard, this was going to be impossible. 

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Jeonghan wanted to go back to his room while it was empty and relax, but Joshua insisted on going to take a dip in the jacuzzi. So with a quick trip to each of their rooms they headed down to the indoor pool and slipped into the hot, bubbly water. Jeonghan sighed as he let the warmth melt into him, undoing every knot in his back. 

"You should have heard that idiot, he said I reminded him of a hot librarian" Minghao complained, Seungkwan giggled. 

"I would have said mean secretary" Joshua said, Minghao gave him a scathing look. Jeonghan thought of what Seungcheol had said during their exercise. Like calling him gorgeous and beautiful was going to win him over. He wasn't so vapid that a few nice words would make him change his mind. 

"How did you and Cheollie get along?" Soonyoung asked, leaning into Jeonghan's space. Jeonghan shoved him away by the face, making him cringe at the water on his hand. 

"Fine, we were perfectly civil" Jeonghan said, 

"You looked like you were going to pop a blood vessel" Seokmin said, Jeonghan huffed, ducking lower into the water. 

"He thinks buttering me up will win me over, that's not how I work" he said, 

"Why don't you just shake hands and make up? Then we could spend the rest of this retreat relaxing" Seungkwan said, 

"That's what I'm trying to do" Jeonghan said, 

"Doesn't seem like it" Vernon said, floating idly back and forth between the walls of the jacuuzi. 

"I told him that we were colleagues and that's all we'd ever be, that we would pretend to be civil and get the certificate" Jeonghan explained, Seokmin hissed through his teeth. 

"That's not making up, Hannie" Seungkwan said, shaking his head. 

"Well it's the best I can do" Jeonghan said, 

"Ah, actually, it's only what you're willing to do" Joshua said, Jeonghan cursed his best friend and how well he knew him. 

"Hannie, if you don't let this go the office is never going to be comfortable" Seungkwan said, 

"I'm sure Seungcheol would be willing to let bygones be bygones if you were just nicer to him" Seokmin said, 

"Oh, so you're best friends now?" Jeonghan snipped, Seokmin raised a brow. 

"No, but he's a good head officer too. You're both great at your jobs and we would work better if you guys would just get along" he said, Jeonghan huffed, glancing anywhere but at his friends. He was reminded suddenly of what Joshua had said in his room earlier that day. That Seungcheol was better at swallowing his pride than Jeonghan. Did he have a pride issue? He didn't like the idea that his friends saw him differently than he saw himself. But he supposed it was something that happened to everyone. The problem now was, Jeonghan really didn't want to take back what he'd said to Seungcheol. He would be happy just getting along in quiet civility. And if Seungcheol could be happy with that too, then the office would be fine...

Alright, who was he kidding. They couldn't go on like this. It was a disaster! But Jeonghan really had no clue what to do to fix it. Because every fiber of his being said screw Seungcheol do what you want. That was selfish, though. And it would only make the office dynamics worse. 

"You look like you're thinking pretty hard over there Hannie" Vernon said, floating by. Jeonghan pursed his lips a little, 

"It's not just easier to pretend you guys don't hate each other, is it?" Joshua said, Jeonghan groaned. 

"Shut up, stop reading my mind" he complained, "I just- I know it would be easier if we were at least...friendly, but I don't even know how I would do that. We've been at each other's throats for so long" Jeonghan sighed, 

"Hannie, if you want to make friends with Seungcheol then you've gotta talk to him" Seungkwan said, Jeonghan didn't like the sound of that. Mostly because that would mean admitting that he was wrong for going at Seungcheol for so long, for being spiteful and rude. He really, really didn't want to admit to that. 

"What the hell am I supposed to say? 'Hi, sorry for being a competative jerk for the last year or so, let's pretend none of this ever happened'?" Jeonghan said sarcastically, 

"Well, yeah, something like that. But you've definitely gotta apologize" Seungkwan said, nodding resolutely. Jeonghan scoffed, 

"Please, I wasn't the only one running that race" he said, 

"And there's your biggest issue" Joshua said, flicking a droplet of water at Jeonghan. 

"What?" he said, a little annoyed. 

"Your pride Hannie, you've gotta let it go" Seokmin said, Jeonghan groaned and tipped his head back, eyes closing. He hated that his friends knew him so well. 

"And if we're on the topic-" Jeonghan turned over, climbing out of the jacuuzi. 

"Okay, good talk, I'm going to go think long and hard about how I'm going to get new friends" Jeonghan said, shaking some water off of himself as his friends and coworkers called to him. 

"Come on Hannie!" 

"Jeonghannie!" 

Jeonghan waved them off, grabbing his towel and wrapping it around himself. 

"I'm getting too hot anyway, I'll see you guys at dinner" he said, he really was hot. He felt like taking a nice shower and then a nap before dinner. So he headed through the resort and up to his shared room. Luckily Seungcheol wasn't around when he got there. So he took a shower, scrubbed the chlorine from his skin and hair, and then sprawled himself on his bed with a long sigh. 

In spite of it all, this was a nice reprieve. Jeonghan turned over and laid spread eagle, closing his eyes for a moment. He thought about what the others had said, about letting his pride go. Was he really that bad? Realistically, Jeonghan knew deep down that he was a bigger part of the problem than he'd let on. He really was going to have to find a way to fix this himself. Jeonghan buried his face in the bed, groaning some more. This was going to be terrible...

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Soonyoung had convinced Mingyu, Chan, and Wonwoo to play basketball with him, so Seungcheol was sitting at a table with Junhui as he watched the rest of his team play. He was sulking a bit, thinking about how badly the bonding exercise had gone. 

"Don't look so down in the dumps Cheollie, this was just a hiccup" Junhui reassured him, Seungcheol wasn't so sure. 

"He hates me" he sighed, 

"He doesn't hate you, he's just got his head a little too far up his own ass is all" Junhui said, Seungcheol gave him a bland look. "Don't you worry, we'll get Jeonghan to see what a great guy you are. Then he'll put all this junk behind him and you guys will go to the bone zone, I'm sure of it" Junhui said, all smiles. Seungcheol was cringing, "just leave it all to me" Junhui said, Seungcheol should have rejected his help in the first place. But since he didn't have it in him to tell anyone else about his crush he supposed Junhui would do. 

"Fine, but only if you never use the term bone zone again" Seungcheol said, 

"Deal" Junhui chirped, Seungcheol really hoped he wouldn't regret this. 

"So what do we do?" he asked, Junhui hummed in contemplation. Then he snapped his fingers as something seemed to dawn on him, 

"Ah, I've got it! You should start with small gestures" he said, 

"Okay, like what?" Seungcheol asked, 

"I know Jeonghan likes fruity stuff, maybe get him some fruit from the bar?" Junhui suggested, Seungcheol thought about it. It could work, 

"Alright, I guess I'll go do that" he said, there was a shout from the court. They glanced over only to find Mingyu putting Soonyoung in a headlock while the latter cackled, Seungcheol really needed a vacation. A normal vacation. "I'll see you later" Seungcheol said, finally leaving them. He could hear Junhui shouting to let him join. 

Seungcheol made his way through the many lounging spaces to the bar that sat dead center to all the outside sitting areas. He glanced at the menu, there was a fruit salad but that seemed a little odd. After a moment of contemplation he settled on a bottle of organic mango juice, how badly could that go over? Seungcheol ordered it, paid for it, and then steeled himself as he went in search of Jeonghan. 

He decided to text Seungkwan, since he was close with Jeonghan and probably wouldn't assume much if he asked about his location. Luckily enough, while Seungcheol paced one of the stone walkways, Seungkwan texted back. Apparently Jeonghan had gone back to their room. Seungcheol nodded to himself and headed back to the main part of the resort. On his way up he contemplated what he'd say, if he was going to say anything at all. Maybe less was more with Jeonghan. Or maybe he'd think it was weird if Seungcheol walked in, handed him a bottle of juice, and then left. 

He hadn't come up with anything useful and he was already at their door. He clutched the bottle of juice, murmuring possible starters to himself. 

"This is a peace offering...no, um....it reminded me of you? No" Seungcheol shook his head, "ugh, just...let's just wing it" he murmured, he put his keycard in the door and pushed the door open. He glanced around and spotted Jeonghan on his bed, sprawled out and tangled in his blankets. Snoring soundly. Seungcheol cursed his timing, turning to leave but paused. He should just leave the juice here. 

Seungcheol tip toed toward Jeonghan's bed, going around and putting the juice on his nightstand. He glanced at Jeonghan, his hair messy and his lips parted as he slept. He looked, honestly, angelic like this. So calm and unworried, no pinches in his brow or sharpness in the quirk of his lips. No disdain in his gaze. Seungcheol had the urge to reach down and touching his face, feel his sharp jaw and smooth skin. But he refrained. 

When he really thought about it, he wondered if this was the only reason he liked Jeonghan so much. Because once Seungcheol started making better numbers Jeonghan didn't treat him kindly, he wasn't friendly or nice to him like he was to the rest of the office. It bothered Seungcheol more than he could fathom. He almost wondered if maybe he should cut his losses, because maybe Jeonghan wasn't the person he thought he was...

Seungcheol turned away, finally going to the door. He spared Jeonghan once last look over his shoulder, something inside of him twisting uncomfortably. He sighed, closing the door with the softest click.


	3. I'll No Longer Be A Capulet...But I'll Definitely Be A Pain In The Ass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's almost 1am and ya know what, i hope there aren't as many typos as i think there are 
> 
> lots of love! 
> 
> ALSO - SMUT WARNING - <3

Seungcheol awoke the next morning with a strange tension in his neck. As he got up, checking the time, he realized it may have been from tossing and turning all night. His sheets were messy and half way off the bed, one of his pillows was on the floor too. He rubbed at his neck as he stood, stumbling his way to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Jeonghan was still sleeping soundly, if the occasional snore was any indication. Seungcheol tried to keep as quiet as he could, he was sure waking Jeonghan up before he was ready was a sure fire way to piss him off. 

So he brushed his teeth without the water running and decided he could wash his face before bed instead of now. When he finished up he remembered that they would be going on a hike, so he dressed accordingly. And once he pulled a cap over his head and grabbed his phone and key card he left the room. As he wandered his way to the main square he became a bit pensive. He thought about Jeonghan first, and how he hadn't made any strides in getting him to open up. And as he rubbed his neck some, he realized that maybe this wasn't the best time to fix their bridge. Maybe it would be better to focus on his own issues for a minute. 

Outside it was cool, the sun peaking over the trees and warming the air still chilled by the night. Seungcheol wasn't the only one up early, Minghao, Vernon, and Seungkwan were in the main square waiting for Eric and the others to arrive. 

"Morning" Vernon greeted, still seeming a bit sleepy. 

"Morning" Seungcheol responded, tucking his hands into his shorts pockets as he approached them. He noticed a margarita glass in Minghao's hand, it was mostly empty already too. Seungcheol raised a brow, "little early, don't you think?" he asked, Minghao's expression didn't change as he tossed back the rest of the drink. 

"Nope" he said, hissing a bit as the cold seemed to hit him. Seungcheol chuckled as he shook his head, 

"Was Jeonghan up yet?" Seungkwan asked, 

"Not yet, I figured he wanted to sleep in" Seungcheol said, 

"Good call, he would've shaved your eyebrows off if you woke him up before his alarm" Minghao said, Seungcheol's lips twitched in shock. 

"He did it to Joshua when they were roommates in college" a voice said, Seungcheol glanced over his shoulder as Seokmin and Joshua himself joined the group. Where was his team? Not one of them was up yet. 

"And I put his wallet in the toilet, the score has been even ever since" Joshua said, a slight curl to his lips as they stopped to Seungcheol's left. A quick glance around made Seungcheol shift on his feet, he was surrounded by the entirety of team B. At least, save for Jeonghan and Soonyoung. He felt a little outnumbered. 

"So..." Soekmin said, trying to catch Seungcheol's eye. "Has Jeonghan said anything to you?" he asked, Seungcheol blinked. Joshua elbowed Seokmin, 

"Um, no, not really" Seungcheol said, a bit curious about whatever Jeonghan supposedly wanted to tell him. 

"Don't worry about it, he was just going to ask you for a pair of socks" Joshua said, it was such an obvious lie that Seungcheol almost laughed. Instead, though, he nodded and decided to mind his business. 

"Good morning dear subordinates" a voice said, they all glanced toward the main path as Jihoon and Soonyoung appeared. Both dressed for a hike. Seungcheol finally caught sight of Junhui and Wonwoo coming their way too. 

"Morning sir" Seungkwan said cordially, 

"Alright, we're on a retreat, call me Jihoon" Jihoon said, Seungkwan beamed. Wonwoo, Chan, and Junhui joined them moments later, 

"What took you guys so long?" Seungcheol asked, 

"We had to wake Mingyu up, he drank a lot last night" Wonwoo explained, figures. 

"Where is he?" Jihoon asked, 

"Right there" Chan pointed up the pass, funnily enough Mingyu and Jeonghan were both stumbling their way down the pass. Equally tardy. 

"That's a pink slip for both of you" Jihoon barked, Jeonghan's jaw fell open and Mingyu sputtered as they arrived. Both of them looked a little disheveled as they caught their breath. 

"W-wh- I didn't-" 

"I'm kidding" Jihoon said, Jeonghan deflated and Mingyu nearly collapsed. "Our tour guide isn't even here yet" Jihoon said, 

"Actually, I've been here since the sun came up" Seungkwan screamed and Vernon cursed at the voice that came from the bushes behind them, Eric appeared wearing a safari hat and shorts that showed just a little too much. "I like to listen to the birds early in the morning" he smiled, Seungkwan pushed himself into Vernon's arms and away from Eric as he stepped out of the bushes. "Now that we're all here, let's start our hike, hm?" he said, smiling as serenely as ever. They all exchanged equal looks of mild confusion and fear, but without another word Eric turned toward an opposing path to lead them on their hike. How safe it was to follow a quack like him into the foliage Seungcheol didn't know, but he was looking forward to seeing the water fall. So he moved with the group. 

They left the safety of the resort on a path that soon became dirt, the trees hanging lower and the bushes becoming thicker. 

"Now, watch out for pelt snakes and sailor monkeys. They're native to the island and very aggressive" Eric called as he lead the way, 

"Uh, the snakes?" Mingyu asked, 

"No, the monkeys" Eric said, as chipper as ever. Wonwoo pressed close to Mingyu, the both of them holding hands as they walked, wide eyes watching the ground and trees respectively. Seungcheol pressed his lips into a tight line of worry, but as they walked the scenery distracted him. The whole had been beautiful from above, but up close it was even better. They reached a mossy bridge that traveled over a babbling brook. The sun glinted off the water and color sea glass beneath the surface, rainbows of color shined around them. 

"Wow..." Seokmin murmured, 

"This place is so pretty" Junhui said, leaning over the side of the bridge to get a better look at the glass under the water. 

"It is, where the falls turn into a river is even prettier. And we can even swim in it if you'd like" Eric said, they kept going and were submerged once again in thick forest. 

"Where does all that glass come from?" Soonyoung asked, 

"Good question!" Eric trilled, "many years ago, when the resort was first founded on the island, there were caves full of minerals and very hot lava. To be able to run the resort and ensure the safety of guests the owner of the island had the caves scooped clean, since the lava was stagnant it was easy to push it into the many rivers of the island. Unfortunately, this stopped up the free flowing water for many ears. But over time, with the heat and pressure and various clean up crews the water flow was restored" Eric explained, "and beneath it all the glass was created, since it was so pretty and many guests enjoy the photo opportunities the owner decided to leave it" he finished, wow...

Someone moved up to walk beside Seungcheol, when he glanced over he had to glance down as well. 

"How's your vacation?" Seungcheol asked Jihoon, 

"I've slept more in the last two days than I have in the last two weeks total" Jihoon said, "how are you doing? You guys hash out your weird sexual tension yet?" he asked, Seungcheol flushed. 

"What are you- what-" he was floundering and Jihoon was highly amused by it, 

"Calm down, I was kidding" he said, Seungcheol tugged at his collar nervously. 

"Funny" he coughed, 

"But really, how are you? I know we don't talk much anymore" Jihoon said, and the genuine remorse in his voice made Seungcheol feel a little better. Jihoon and Seungcheol had in fact been very close, until Jihoon had gotten his promotion and his work load had practically doubled. 

"That depends, are you asking me as my boss or my friend?" Seungcheol asked, a slight smirk on his face. 

"Alright, ass" Jihoon said blandly, Seungcheol snickered. "I'm asking as your friend, I know plenty as your boss. But you never came to me about your issues with Jeonghan" Jihoon said, Seungcheol took a deep, cool breath. It had been a long time since Seungcheol had confided in Jihoon, but he figured out of everyone Jihoon was probably the best at giving advice. Even if he had Junhui, someone with a little more life experience could be helpful. So Seungcheol made up his mind, he lagged back behind the group so more so that they were out of ear shot. 

"We didn't have issues in the beginning, I just...I made the wrong decision and tried to get myself noticed by showing him up. I didn't know it at the time but Jeonghan really doesn't like people doing his job better than him" Seungcheol began, Jihoon snorted. 

"Yeah, anyone could've told you that" he said, 

"Well no one did, so he started this rivalry and I didn't know what else to do but keep it up. It was fun in the beginning, I thought maybe this was how we'd get along. But then the rumors started and he started being cold and distant, that wasn't exactly my goal" Seungcheol went on, 

"What was your goal, exactly?" Jihoon asked, Seungcheol felt the heat crawling up the back of his neck again. 

"To get Jeonghan to like me..." he murmured, Jihoon took a long, deep breath. 

"Why you didn't just ask someone for advice is beyond me, but now look at you two. You're like Tom and Jerry without all the funny stuff" he said, gesturing ahead with both arms. Seungcheol couldn't help but agree, 

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Jeonghan really doesn't want anything to do with me. He wants us to pretend we're civil so we can get the certificate and go home with our jobs still intact, Junhui's been giving me advice but-" 

"Let me stop you right there, before you something that truly pains me" Jihoon said, shaking his head. "Junhui thinks flirting is making really shitty analogies about people's butts, he's the wrong person for this job" he said, again, Seungcheol had to agree. While Junhui was a dear friend and very perceptive, love wasn't necessarily his forte. 

"Yeah..." Seungcheol sighed, 

"Look, this affects the whole office. And I say that as your boss because you're smarter than a love sick puppy, your job is important, that office important" Jihoon said, "but as your friend, I'll say that you just need to talk to him. Lay it out on the table-" 

"I really can't do that" Seungcheol said quickly, Jihoon gave him a bored look. And after a moment of looking at Seungcheol's constipated expression he sighed, 

"Alright, then try to romance him. Jeonghan is a sap, and I've seen him stare at your ass more times than I can count on one hand. So use it to your advantage, even if he hates you on a professional level he may not hate you on a personal level. At least, not fully" Jihoon shrugged, they were headed up a steep pass now. It wasn't very high but Seungcheol had to pay attention to where he stepped, 

"And if that doesn't work?" Seungcheol asked, 

"Then you've really just gotta throw it out there, all the stuff you want to say needs to be said or your problem will never get solved" Jihoon said, while it had been a while since Seungcheol and Jihoon had really talked, Jihoon hadn't lost his wisdom. "But you can try the romantic stuff first, if he responds to a wink or a tap on the butt then so be it" Jihoon said, Seungcheol grinned lopsidedly. 

"You think that'll work?" he asked, watching his feet for a moment. 

"I think so, it worked for me" Jihoon said, Seungcheol turned a wide eyed look on him.

"You and Jeonghan-" 

"No you idiot, me and...someone else. Point is, sappy romance junk works on sappy romantics" Jihoon said pointedly, in all the years Seungcheol has known Jihoon, even before he'd gotten the job at Pledis, Jihoon had never shown interest in another human being that way. Girl or boy, tall or small. Jihoon was married to his work, at least, that's what he's always told Seungcheol. 

"Alright, I'll try it" Seungcheol said, they had reached the peak and over the rise laid another wide river. This one filled with shiny, colorful glass, and roaring at the far end of it was a sparkling waterfall. 

"Look at that!" Vernon crowed, 

"That's so cool" Junhui said, 

"Alright, let's take a break here. Then we'll cross the river and do another session" Eric said, doing his signature dismissive clap. They didn't need to be told twice, they all crowded toward the river. Photo ops, some splashing, and plenty of sight seeing took place. Seungcheol spotted Jeonghan by the water with Seokmin, they were talking and pointing. The smile on Jeonghan's face was relaxed, Seungcheol couldn't help but look at it for a moment. That's what he really wanted, for Jeonghan to smile at him like that. Seungcheol made his way closer, glad to see Wonwoo and Junhui crouched nearby Jeonghan. Seungcheol joined them, peering into the water, a rainbow reflected on his legs. 

"Cheollie, look at this, there are fish" Junhui pointed, 

"They're so shiny" Wonwoo murmured, intruiged. 

"It's probably just the reflection" Junhui said, Seungcheol glanced over at Jeonghan again. He was laughing at Seokmin, who had stepped into the river and sunk waist deep. He was squealing as he tried to clambor back onto the river bank. Jeonghan reached down, trying to help him up. Seungcheol could see his foot sinking into the soft mud of the riverbank, though. He turned, taking a few quick strides to warn him. But the moment he reached out, hand brushing Jeonghan's back, he went stumbling into the water. He gasped, water soaking his clothes. Seokmin cackled, but Seungcheol wasn't laughing. Not when Jeonghan whipped around, narrowing a venomous gaze on him. 

"I-I-" Seungcheol didn't get the chance to finish his thought, Jeonghan was turning back around and trying to make his way across the river alone. Seungcheol muttered a curse and then took his phone out of his pocket, sticking it into his hat. He kept his shoes on and stepped into the water, just like Seokmin he sank about hip deep. The water was icy cold, but it did feel nice on his warm skin. With a shudder and a huff Seungcheol followed Jeonghan, "Jeonghan, hold on" he said, about half way across. "Can we talk?" he asked, hoping his timing wasn't off. 

"Go away, I have nothing to say to you" Jeonghan snapped, Seungcheol frowned and stopped on a rather large chunk of blue glass. He glanced down into the water, and noticed a wide hole just ahead of Jeonghan. And out of all the things Seungcheol remembered about the man, he remembered that Jeonghan didn't know how to swim. 

"Wait, Jeonghan-" 

"I said fuck o- ah!" Seungcheol lunged just as Jeonghan fell in, the water splashing up around them. Seungcheol grabbed Jeonghan by the waist, hauling him out of the hole. Seungcheol's feet slipped from the glass, he kicked them as he kept them as far above the water as he could. 

"Han-ah!" someone yelled, 

"Seungcheol!" someone else called, Seungcheol ignored them and pulled Jeonghan across to the otherside of the river. With a rough shove Jeonghan went sprawling into the mud, Seungcheol climbed onto the bank beside him and murmured another curse. Jeonghan turned over, chest heaving and eyes blown wide in fear. 

"Are you guys okay?!" Seungkwan yelled, Seungcheol got onto his feet, cringing at the way his shoes squelched. He offered a hand to Jeonghan, and after a moment of silence he took it. Seungcheol pulled him onto his feet, Jeonghan was apparently still a bit off kilter because he went stumbling into Seungcheol. His left hand smacked Seungcheol in the chest as he used him to steady himself. And just as quickly as his palm had made contact he pulled it away, stepping back a step or two. He was flushed, and Seungcheol could only assume it was from the fear and panic of nearly drowning. 

"Um...thank you" Jeonghan said, curling his fingers a bit. 

"You're welcome...are you okay?" Seungcheol asked, Jeonghan cleared his throat with a nod. 

"Yup, just a little um, a little shaken up I guess" he said, avoiding Seungcheol's gaze. Not just his gaze, actually, he was avoiding looking at Seungcheol all together. There was some splashing behind them, Seungcheol turned around to watch the rest of their group cross the river. 

"I didn't know a recess had opened up, I'll have to tell the resort about it when we get back" Eric said, stepping up onto the bank and shaking some water out of his shoes. Seungcheol took his hat off, checking his phone. Luckily it was mostly dry, and it still worked fine. "Alright, let's sun dry and do our next session" Eric clapped, "come and take a seat in a circle for me everyone" he beckoned, Jeonghan turned and hurried his way over to his friends. Seungcheol sighed and joined his own team in their semi circle. He sat between Jihoon and Wonwoo. 

"You know, when I said romance him I didn't say save his life" Jihoon said quietly, 

"It wasn't exactly my plan" Seungcheol murmured, 

"Well, let's hope it worked" Jihoon said, Seungcheol glanced across the circle at Jeonghan. And strangely enough he met his gaze, Jeonghan looked away quickly though. Seungcheol felt a bloom of hope in his chest. Maybe it had worked...

"Alright, this is what we're going to do" Eric stood in the middle of the circle, "I'm going to point at a person, and that person will say one thing that bothers them about someone else. Then the person they address will get the chance to rebuke and then say something that bothers them about someone else, you cannot bounce back to the same person and they have to be short answers. Are we ready?" this session seemed to really be digging into the meat of the problem, but they all more or less agreed. Eric clapped once more, "great, let's start with...you" he turned in a half circle and pointed at Wonwoo, Seungcheol let go of a soft breath when he realized it wouldn't be him. Wonwoo shifted uncomfortably for a moment, 

"Um...I don't like it when Joshua makes everyone's business his own" he said, 

"Good, keep it going, Joshua" Eric prompted, Joshua's lips were pursed. 

"I don't make everyone's business my own, people just happen to tell me things they hear. I get dragged into problems, I don't make them" he said, 

"Okay, next person, go on" Eric urged with a gesture of his hands, Joshua sighed, eyes rolling. 

"Fine...I hate it that Mingyu takes everything up the ass" he said, Mingyu scoffed. 

"I wouldn't take everything up the ass if you weren't such an asshole about everything-" 

"Ah, rule two!" Eric chimed in, Mingyu pursed his lips in annoyance. 

"If you didn't talk trash while you told me things I'd probably be less of a jerk about it" he said tightly, Joshua's brow pinched a bit. 

"Can I respond to that really quick?" He asked, raising his hand. Eric gave him a nod of approval, "Mingyu, I never meant to be an asshole. That's how I joke, my humor is mostly insult based" he explained, Mingyu frowned. 

"Well, it's not like we're friends, I wouldn't know" he said, Joshua's expression was a bit remorseful. 

"Alright, move on, go, go" Eric said, seemingly enraptured by their conversations. 

"Ah, uh, I don't like when Minghao calls us animals" Mingyu went on, Minghao scowled a bit. 

"I wouldn't have to if you guys would stop going at Jeonghan, he doesn't even dislike werewolves and you started that rumor" he said, Migyu opened his mouth but Eric shushed him and urged Minghao on. "I don't like it when Wonwoo acts like witches are trash" he said, 

"I'm only taking a page from your book, if you'd stop gunning for us then we wouldn't go at you" Wonwoo said, folding his arms. "I don't like that Jeonghan doesn't stand up for himself, his friends are always fighting his fights" he said, Jeonghan shifted a bit where he was sat, hands tucked between his thighs. 

"I...I'm very sorry" he said, a look of shock touched Wonwoo's features. "A lot of this could have been avoided if I would have just...let things go" he said, looking a bit defeated. "I don't like that Soonyoung has to be torn between the A and B teams" he said, turning a wavering gaze on Soonyoung who was also floundering a bit. 

"U-um, well, I don't mind so much. I like being friends with everyone, besides, Seungkwan has to do it too" Soonyoung shrugged, "uh, I don't like that Wonwoo has to be so cold all the time" he said, 

"It's a defense mechanism" Junhui piped up, Wonwoo picked up a nearby stick and chucked it at him. 

"Whoa, violence!" Eric whistled, 

"Come on, it was a twig" Mingyu complained, 

"I've thrown more than twigs at him before" Wonwoo muttered, the conversation went on and somehow Seungcheol was never brought up. So he listened intently, letting his coworkers and friend's words sink into him. He vowed at that moment to be better for them. More than anything, it was for them. 

~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~

When they got back to the resort Jeonghan was almost certain he'd have a rash on his thighs from walking in wet pants all the way back. But that wasn't what weighed on his mind as he went through the lobby. Seungcheol was occupying his thoughts. Mostly the fact that Seungcheol had basically saved his life, that hole was deep and Jeonghan wasn't all that buoyant. If that wasn't enough, the image of Seungcheol standing over him in a wet, clinging shirt haunted him. 

Jeonghan could see every line of muscle, every carved piece of him like a dirty magazine. It was making him flush with warmth, so when he finally got to their shared room Jeonghan decided a cold shower would do him good. His relationship with Seungcheol was already complicated, developing a deeper crush on him would only make things worse. For Jeonghan, at least. Seungcheol would just live in peaceful oblivion to Jeonghan's suffering. 

Jeonghan peeled his clothes off in the bathroom, glad Seungcheol had decided to go to the spa instead of their room. He turned the shower on, opting for lukewarm since he'd had enough cold water for a while. He sat on the edge of the tub, that image playing over and over in his mind. Jeonghan had only gotten a hand on his chest, but that had been enough. Werewolves ran high temperatures naturally, so it came as no surprise that Seungcheol's skin was so warm beneath his palm in that moment. Jeonghan ran a hand down his thigh, wondering if Seungcheol's hands were warm too. He wondered how they'd feel on his own skin, which ran the normal human temperature. 

Jeonghan huffed as his cock stirred to life, he murmured a curse as he closed his eyes and really tried to picture Seungcheol's body. He took care of himself, that was for damn sure. Seungcheol's complexion was naturally pale, Jeonghan couldn't help but wonder if he was pale everywhere else. His skin would probably look so pretty with little bite marks all over the place, red and purple seemed like a good color for him. 

Jeonghan stood up, stepping into the shower before he got ahead of himself. The water soothed his skin, still pink from his cold, wet clothes. Jeonghan rubbed warmth into his arms and shoulders, and then moved his way down. His sides, his hips, his ass. And the thought occurred to him, Seungcheol was probably a careful lover. Jeonghan could only imagine what it would be like to have Seungcheol map every part of him with his hands, with his lips. Jeonghan shivered, apparently imaging was enough. His cock had hardened gradually between his legs, but Jeonghan didn't touch himself right away. He let his hands linger, closing his eyes and letting his imagination run wild. Really, what other chance would he have to jerk off to a wet, hot Seungcheol while the memory was this stark? 

Seungcheol's lips were another point of interest for Jeonghan. They were just so red, Jeonghan wanted to know what color they turned if he nipped and sucked them. He really wanted to know. He also wanted to know what they'd look like wrapped around his cock, or pressing kisses up his navel to his stomach and higher. Jeonghan wrapped a hand around himself finally, making a soft noise of pleasure as he began stroke himself. Kissing Seungcheol had to be a dream. Those lips, those hands wrapped around his waist, around his- 

"Haah" Jeonghan shivered, tightening his fist right at the head of his cock and twisting harshly. "Shit..." he breathed, lip catching between his teeth as he began to fuck his fist. That werewolf strength, Seungcheol could probably fuck him harder than anyone he'd ever slept with. Jeonghan made a noise of pleasure as he repeated his earlier motion, mind becoming foggy with pleasure as he chased his orgasm. He was becoming impatient, done with the slow and sensual. He wanted Seungcheol to take him in any position he could think of, so long as Jeonghan would feel him even after he was finished. Mewls and soft cries left Jeonghan's lips, mixed with pants of Seungcheol's name and whiny pleads to fuck him. "Seungcheol...Cheol....please, Cheollie" Jeonghan whimpered, he'd never had the pleasure of referring to Seungcheol by his nickname. So it felt just as taboo as the very act he was carrying out. So as his orgasm built, Jeonghan leaned against the wall, hips rolling and head full of nothing but Seungcheol. Seungcheol on his knees, sucking him off with vigor. Like he had something to prove. He always had something to prove. 

The bathroom was too hot and Jeonghan could hardly breathe, and somehow that made it that much better. Jeonghan cried out as he came, hips stuttering and cum painting the shower curtain. He stroked himself through it, whimpering when the stimulation became too much. As he came down, his limbs felt heavy and his skin felt tingly. The thickness of post orgasm wasn't quite enough to stop Jeonghan from feeling guilty, unfortunately. 

He rubbed his face with his clean hand, shame making his bottom lip tremble. He was such a creep, how could he do that while thinking of his coworker. The same coworker he had been scorning for years. It was not only unfair of him, it was borderline disgusting. Yoon Jeonghan, you're pathetic. 

After cleaning up Jeonghan washed up and got out of the shower. He didn't know what to do about the stupid feelings swarming inside of him, but as he got dressed his answer came in the form of a text. It was from Minghao, telling him to meet him at the bar in the lower lounge by the spa. If anyone could crush his dreams with cruel reality, it was Minghao. So he threw on the fanciest pair of pajamas he owned and headed out to find him. 

He opened the door to their room and jumped, Seungcheol's sudden appearance startling a scream out of him. Seungcheol blinked, 

"It's me! Are you alright?" he asked, Jeonghan opened his mouth but the image of Seungcheol on his knees flashed in his mind. Jeonghan snapped his mouth shut with an audible click, Seungcheol raised a brow. Jeonghan decided that saying anything now was a very bad idea, so he ducked past Seungcheol and practically ran to the elevator. To his sheer misfortune he could hear Seungcheol take chase, "Jeonghan, hold on" it was the same thing he'd said at the river, and again, Jeonghan flushed with shame and arousal at the memory of Seungcheol's wet shirt. 

Jeonghan slammed the elevator button and was relieved when the doors slid open right away. He dove in, smacking the close button rapidly. The doors began to slide shut, but at the last moment Seungcheol stuck his arm in. The doors opened again and Jeonghan groaned, Seungcheol got into the elevator, the doors sliding shut right behind him.  
"What was that?" Seungcheol asked, Jeonghan hit the lobby button. 

"What was what? I didn't see anything" he said, looking anywhere but Seungcheol. 

"What? You-you just ran from me like I was going to murder you!" Seungcheol said, exasperated. "I know we've never exactly been on the right foot, but that's a little uncalled for" he said, and the hurt in Seungcheol's voice made Jeonghan feel even worse. The elevator shifted to a stop and the doors slid open, Jeonghan ducked out and Seungcheol followed again. "Jeonghan, please, can we talk-" 

"I already told you, I don't have anything to say-" 

"But I do!" Seungcheol exploded and Jeonghan's steps faltered, he looked at Seungcheol and he was glad that this time he didn't see the Seungcheol from his imagination. Instead, he saw the Seungcheol who was becoming genuinely upset by Jeonghan's actions. "I should have done this a long time ago, but I need to say my piece too. You don't get to just make the rules about how we interact, I have things to say too" Seungcheol said, the emotion in his gaze was just a little too much for Jeonghan. 

"Ah, just the people I wanted to see!" Jeonghan jumped and Seungcheol cursed, eyes rolling heavenward as Eric appeared from behind a large palm frond in one of the many planters in the lobby. "You two have some relaxing to do, so I've booked you a couples massage with Isla and Sierra. They're great, you'll love it" Eric said, beaming as he put a hand on each of their backs, leading them toward the spa. 

"Ah, wai- I don't-" 

"Hush, hush, you'll love it. You'll feel like you don't have bones when she's done" Eric reassured him, and since Jeonghan had already done his share of running away he went obediantly. At least while laying face down on a massage table he wouldn't have to look Seungcheol in the face again. 

They were taken to one of the private massage rooms, a pair of blonde women greeted them cordially. Eric left with a quick thumbs up, closing the door behind himself. Jeonghan stood awkwardly to the side, but then Isla beckoned him, a swath of white fabric over her arm. 

"Please strip and put this on" Isla had a thick Russian accent, and the robe she handed Jeonghan was kind of sheer. Cottony too. 

"Um..." Jeonghan murmured, glancing Seungcheol's way. But he was already pulling his shirt over his head, exposing a wide expanse of unblemished, pale skin. His back was broad, Jeonghan could see the muscles flex as Seungcheol finished pulling his shirt off. Jeonghan froze, gaze unwavering as he drank in the sight of a shirtless Seungcheol, his dick making a valiant attempt at reviving itself. But Jeonghan spun around, making quick work of his pajama shirt and putting the robe on. He pushed his pants off once the robe was secured. 

"Lay face down here" Isla instructed, gesturing to the table. And Jeonghan did as he was told, resting his face in the open space on the table and forcing himself to relax. Isla moved around the room for a moment, and then he felt something warm across his neck. Isla draped a hot towel there, and while it stung a bit at first the warmth seeped into him. He felt himself relax fully, body becoming pliant. And then she got to work. 

For the first few minutes it was silent, only the occasional grunt or moan from Jeonghan and even Seungcheol. 

"Jeonghan" Seungcheol said, Jeonghan tensed up and Isla scolded him with a click of her tongue and swat to his flank. 

"You tense and muscles rip, don't tense" Isla said, Jeonghan took careful breathes, once again forcing himself to become pliant beneath her skilled hands. 

"We need to talk about this, avoiding it won't help anyone" Seungcheol went on, why did everyone keep saying that? "Just listen to what I have to say for now, please" he said, the sincerity in his voice making Jeonghan squeeze his eyes shut. "I know that when I first started at Pledis I was a bit...overwhelming. I did things out of order and I didn't listen to you all that well" he began, that was an understatement. "But I only did it because I wanted you to like me, I wanted to impress you" Jeonghan's eyes snapped open, "it obviously didn't work out that way, but I guess all I can say about it is...I'm sorry. I should have been honest with you about my intentions in the first place, then maybe our relationship wouldn't have turned out this bad. I never wanted to drive a wedge between us, or our teams" he said, Jeonghan processed his words slowly. And a few things occurred to him right then. All those times Seungcheol would bring up his success, it wasn't to rub it in his face or goad him on. It was to make Jeonghan think he was cool, to get Jeonghan to like him. "I know it might be too late to try and fix it now, especially since I've done so many dumb things out of spite. But I really want to make this work, for the sake of the company" Seungcheol finished, Jeonghan took a deep breath. He wasn't sure where to start, so he started with the things that made the most sense to him. 

"I've been with Pledis for a long time, since it was a startup. It's like my baby, so when you came in with guns blazing ready to change up the way we did things I got a little...defensive" Jeonghan said, "and I...I didn't like feeling obsolete, I was scared you were boxing me out and I wouldn't be better than the new guy" he explained, 

"I never meant to-" 

"I know" Jeonghan cut him off, "I know that now, so I...I'm sorry too. For all the snide things I've said and all the trouble I've caused you, it was never supposed to get this out of hand" he said, cheek twitching a bit as he frowned. 

"Can we...can we officially start over? Try again?" Seungcheol asked, Jeonghan could already feel the stress falling from his shoulders. 

"Yeah, we can do that" he said, 

"Thanks...Hannie" Seungcheol said, Jeonghan choked on his laugh. 

"Alright, slow it down there pal" he said, 

"Sorry, I just wanted to try it out" Seungcheol said, sounding bashful. Jeonghan giggled, 

"Give it some time...now, shut up, I want to enjoy this massage" he said, 

"Alright" Seungcheol said, and with that Jeonghan closed his eyes and enjoyed the rest of his massage.


	4. And What Say You...My Dearest Enemy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hard smut warning guys !!! 
> 
> i....i am so tired....i love all of u tho

Eric had been right, Jeonghan felt like he didn't have bones as he wandered his way to the indoor pool just outside of the spa. Seungcheol had decided to go back to their room to take a proper shower. And they had parted amicably. Jeonghan felt good about their conversation, the guilt he'd felt had even absolved itself. It was nice, all the impending doom and tension had been washed away. 

Jeonghan had his hands in his robe pockets as he wandered along the poolside, as he passed a row of seats someone whistled at him. He glanced down the row and found Joshua stretched out in one of the chairs, a drink in hand and a thick robe on. Jeonghan made his way over, 

"What are you doing?" he asked, 

"Sunbathing" Joshua answered, Jeonghan raised a brow as he perched on the edge of the seat beside him. 

"How do you sunbathe in a robe?" he asked, Joshua shrugged and took a sip of his drink. 

"So, how'd the couple's massage go?" he asked, Jeonghan ignored the flip of his stomach. 

"It wasn't a couple's massage" he scoffed, Joshua shrugged once more. 

"A couple of guys, getting a message. Couple's massage" he said, Jeonghan rolled his eyes. 

"Whatever, it was fine. We...actually talked," he said, smiling a bit at the memory. "We agreed to start over, he said that he was just trying to impress me. And I apologized for being a jerk" he explained briefly, Joshua hummed as he sipped his drink some more. He was really enjoying all this, maybe Jeonghan should get a drink...

"Maybe you'll finally uncomplicate all those feelings you were telling us about the other night" Joshua said, smirking as he gave Jeonghan a sidelong glance. Jeonghan groaned, maybe he didn't need a drink after all. 

"Drunk Jeonghan really needs to learn to keep his mouth shut" Jeonghan complained, turning around to lean into the chair. 

"No way, then I'd know nothing about you" Joshua said, Jeonghan huffed but his lips were still tilted up. "But really, you seem to have a thing for Seungcheol, do you think that played into wanting to beat him so bad?" Joshua asked, no taunt in his voice this time. So Jeonghan genuinely thought about it, he wasn't even sure he liked Seungcheol beyond the physical sense. He'd spent so much time hating him and trying to one up him that he hadn't taken into account who he was as a person. Jeonghan sighed after a moment, 

"I don't know, maybe, drunk Jeonghan has the habit of making things more than they are though. So it's hard to say if I really like him like that" Jeonghan explained, Joshua raised both his brows in mild surprise. 

"Really?" he asked, and it was at that moment that Jeonghan's brain said 'No, he absolutely liked him like that'. But there were too many complicated matters between them to even consider dating. So Jeonghan did what he thought was the best thing for himself right then, he lied. 

" Yeah, he isn't really my type" Jeonghan shrugged one shoulder, plucking at a thread on his robe. Joshua made a buzzer noise, startling Jeonghan a bit. 

"Wrong again. Drunk Jeonghan not only described Seuncheol's lips as plush, cherry gummy worms he would just love to chew on but he also said that you, and I quote, had a total heart boner for him" Joshua said, Jeonghan could feel his dignity slip away. 

"Agh! I'm going to murder that guy!" Jeonghan cried, groaning as he covered his face. Joshua chuckled, 

"Look on the bright side, this is the perfect place to work all that stuff out. Eric is a therapist" Joshua said, Jeonghan supposed that could work. And on the topic of Eric he glanced at Joshua, squinting a bit. 

"Does that guy just hide in bushes when he isn't with us?" Jeonghan asked, Joshua pursed his lips a bit. 

"I think he does it for the dramatic effect" he said, Jeonghan nodded. "I saw him climb into a vent to scare Seungkwan and Soonyoung earlier" Joshua said, Jeonghan had to wonder where the hell Jihoon had found this guy. 

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Seungcheol had planned on taking a shower after the massage, half because he still smelled like river water and half because listening to Jeonghan moan for twenty minutes had caused him some issues. But he had been caught about half way back to the lobby by Junhui and the rest of his team. So now he was stripped down to nothing but a towel and seated between Wonwoo and Mingyu in a sauna. The steam was a bit suffocating, but the warmth was nice. 

"So you guys just hit the restart button?" Wonwoo asked, Seungcheol nodded, wiping his brow a bit. 

"Yeah, I told him my reasoning and he apologized for taking it so badly. And then we just decided to start over" he shrugged as he explained, a smile touching his lips at the memory. Mingyu whistled, 

"Didn't think Jeonghan was capable of apologizing" he said, 

"He's not so bad, he's just a little old fashioned" Chan said, 

"At least now you can finally get through to him" Jihoon said, he had joined them not long after Seungcheol had gotten dragged in. 

"Get what through to him?" Wonwoo asked, Seungcheol flushed which somehow made him feel colder in the warm room. 

"His feelings" Junhui said, Seungcheol turned a wide eyed look on him. Junhui slapped a hand over his mouth, his own eyes blowing wide. 

"Cats out of the bag" Jihoon said, as relaxed as ever. 

"Wait, what's going on?" Chan asked, Seungcheol figured Jihoon was right. So he steeled himself for whatever reaction he was about to receive, good or bad. 

"I kind of had a crush on Jeonghan, since I came to Pledis. That's why I tried so hard to impress him" Seungcheol explained tentatively, noise broke out in the small space. Mingyu was howling with laughter and Wonwoo was speaking a mile a minute, Chan was losing it too. 

"Calm down, you're gonna make me lose my hearing" Jihoon said irritably, covering his ears. And they did quiet down, but they didn't calm down. 

"We thought you hated him, turns out you just wanna hook up with him" Mingyu said, slapping his bare knee with a resounding smack. Seungcheol felt himself blushing hotly, 

"I-I don't want to just hook up with him, I wanna take him on dates and hold his hand and stuff..." Seungcheol said, lips pursed a bit. Another round of howling and noise filled the sauna. Jihoon reached down and took his shower slipper off, he chucked it at Mingyu, who happened to be the loudest. Mingyu yelped when it struck his forehead, 

"Shut up!" Jihoon snapped, 

"Man, so you're definitely gonna go to the bone zone now" Junhui said, leaning back.

"We had a deal" Seungcheol said, pointing an accusing finger at him. 

"What deal?" Wonwoo asked, 

"I figured out that Cheollie had a crush first, so I offered to help him win Jeonghannie over. It obviously worked" Junhui grinned, 

"You didn't do anything, though" Chan said, 

"Semantics" Junhui said, 

"That's not semantics" Wonwoo said blandly, 

"Okay, whatever, how are you gonna get Jeonghan to go out with you?" Mingyu asked, Seungcheol could admit it was nice that his friends were so on board with it. But he couldn't help the dubious raise of his eyebrow, 

"Didn't you hate Jeonghan a few minutes ago?" he asked, 

"Well, yeah, but you're our friend and we want you to be happy. The only reason we hated him was because we thought he was gunning for you" Wonwoo explained, Seungcheol smiled. How had he gotten so lucky? 

"So, what's the plan?" Chan asked, eager. Seungcheol rubbed his neck nervously, 

"Oh, I know!" Junhui chirped, "you make a heart out of roses on the bed and light some candles-" 

"No you idiot, he wants to date Jeonghan not just boink him" Mingyu said, shoving Junhui by the shoulder. 

"Fine, what's your idea then?" Junhui said, frowning. 

"Did you just say boink?" Chan asked, 

"I don't think there is a plan, we just decided that we wouldn't be enemies. I don't think he's exactly ready to jump into something like that" Seungcheol said, cutting them off. 

"Take baby steps Cheollie, just let him get to know the real you and not the work you. I'm sure he'll like you that way" Wonwoo said, smiling. 

"I agree with Wonwoo, this is new territory for the both of you. Be his friend first, but remember, Jeonghan does like to be romanced" Jihoon chimed in, Seungcheol took their words in. He could do that, it was a lot easier now that he didn't have to worry about Jeonghan hating his guts. For the first time since they'd arrived on the island Seungcheol relaxed. 

Every other night the resort hosted a big event. It was different each time, and the past two or three events during the week Jeonghan had opted out. He had much preferred keeping away from Seungcheol and resting for whatever ridiculous session Eric had planned the next day. But that night, when they received the notice that there would be a beach picnic for dinner followed by live music and dancing Jeonghan considered going. And once he shared that he was considering going, his friends pounced on the opportunity to get Jeonghan out for the night. 

"It'll be so fun, we could dress up" Soonyoung said excitedly, they were in the lounge having drinks and talking. 

"I don't know about you, but all I brought were shorts and tank tops" Vernon said, tossing back the last of his rum and coke. 

"I can lend you something nice" Seokmin offered, 

"And you'll get a chance to dance with your knight in shining armor, at least, if you have the balls to do it" Joshua said, the taunt aimed at Jeonghan who had more or less kept quiet since the whole thing was brought up. 

"It's still so crazy to me, how you just flip a switch and suddenly you're buddies" Soongyoung said, 

"It wasn't like that, we just acted like adults for once and came to an agreement. For the sake of the office, of course" Jeonghan said, turning his glass idly. 

"Of course" Seokmin drawled, "and definitely not because you have a huge crush on him" he said, smirking. Jeonghan was seriously hating drunk Jeonghan right about now. 

"I think it's a good thing, not only will the office be in better condition but Seungcheol will finally have a reason to accept the promotion he was offered" Seungkwan said, sipping his mango margarita through his ridiculous curly straw. Jeonghan, however, was stunned. 

"Promotion?" Minghao asked, brow pinched. 

"Yeah, Youngmin offered it to him months ago but he never accepted it. It's still on the table too, so if you guys start dating he'll have a reason to take it" Seungkwan explained, Jeonghan felt the sharp spike of betrayal pierce him. The bitterness that bloomed inside of him was unrivaled by anything he'd experienced yet. 

"How did I not know about this?" Jeonghan asked, fingers tightening around his glass. 

"It wasn't your business, I guess" Seungkwan said, Seokmin elbowed him with a wide eyed look that screamed 'shut up'. Jeonghan sat back, working his jaw tightly. Not his business, of course it wasn't his business. It was his worst nightmare come true, he had been boxed out. He had been surpassed. He wasn't as good as the new guy, and there was the proof. 

"Hannie, it isn't a big deal" Soonyoung tried, Jeonghan scoffed loudly. 

"No, of course it isn't, but it would have been nice to know that my worst fears were coming to life right under my nose" he said, temper spiking. 

"Jeonghan, you're good at your job, it's not like you're being laid off" Joshua said, 

"No, but if he was going to be promoted why did he make a case to get me fired?" Jeonghan asked, tone sharp. No one had an answer for him, it was one of the things that hadn't been discussed between them. And now, Jeonghan had no intention of honoring their agreement. If Seungcheol really wanted to start over he should have told him about this. "I'm going to go to back to my room, have fun at dinner" Jeonghan said, standing up to scoot out of the booth. 

"Hannie, wait" Vernon said, but Jeonghan was already half way across the lounge. Maybe it was unfair of him, but he hated this feeling. The sheer inadequacy that he felt, it was awful. And it was Seungcheol's fault. Once he was outside he had to pause to find the right path back to the main building, but someone caught his arm. Jeonghan shook it off, turning and finding Joshua standing there. 

"Why are you going to take this up the ass? You guys turned over a new leaf, why can't you just leave it alone?" he asked, sounding frustrated. 

"Because, I should have at least known" Jeonghan spat, 

"Would knowing have really helped? Hannie, you need to stop taking this so hard. So what if Seungcheol did it better? You're still our head officer, no matter what" Joshua said, Jeonghan felt his eyes burning. He would not cry, he would not. 

"Because-" Jeonghan cursed his voice as it cracked, "because I worked hard, and it still wasn't good enough. I hate knowing that I wasn't enough" he said, tears welling in his eyes. 

"Hey, Joshua, Jeonghan" that voice was the last thing Jeonghan wanted to hear, he turned away as Seungcheol approached them. Wiping his eyes quickly, Jeonghan tried to get rid of the evidence. 

"Jeonghan, you need to get over this. It's ridiculous" Joshua said, 

"Shut up" Jeonghan murmured, wanting to hide this from Seungcheol more than anything. 

"No, if you're so wound up about this talk to him. He's the reason you're acting like this, right?" Joshua said, he had never spoken to Jeonghan like this before. And it hurt, way more than Jeonghan expected it to. 

"Wh-what's going on?" Seungcheol asked, uncertainty clear in his voice. 

"Jeonghan's insecure because you-" 

"That isn't his business!" Jeonghan snapped, the tears rolling now as he faced them. Seungcheol looked startled and Joshua looked annoyed. 

"I don't um, know what happened. But if you're insecure about something you can talk to me if you need to" Seungcheol offered, tentative. Jeonghan scoffed, hating that his chest was beginning to tighten and tears were falling freely down his face. 

"You don't know anything about me, and you don't need to. This is my business, stay out of it" Jeonghan snapped, wiping his face and hiccuping a bit. He whirled around, storming away. If his best friend didn't have his back then no one did. He didn't need them, he could handle this on his own. He would go back to his original plan, he would stomp down his feelings for Seungcheol and he would be the perfect picture of calm professionalism. That's what he would do. 

Jeonghan realized he hadn't picked the right path, he wasn't anywhere near the main building. He was out by the basketball courts and garden. There were people mulling around but no one paid Jeonghan any mind. So he sat down on a nearby bench and put his face in his hands, crying softly. 

He hated this. It was unfair of him, all of it. But he couldn't help it, he felt betrayed and shittier than ever. He knew he was slower than Seungcheol, but so much slower that he had gotten the promotion Jeonghan had been struggling towards for the last six years? How was he supposed to run an office knowing he wasn't the right person for the job...

"Jeonghan?" a voice said, Jeonghan lifted his head. He was already so embarrassed, what point was there in hiding his red, puffy face now. It was Soonyoung that was coming toward him, he looked a bit winded, like he'd been running. 

"Don't look at me" Jeonghan groaned, hiding his face again. 

"Too late for that, you look like a really sad tomato" Soonyoung said, the only reason Jeonghan lifted his head this time was to glare at Soonyoung. But he just smiled as he took a seat beside Jeonghan, he didn't say anything at first. So Jeonghan sat up, laying his hands in his lap. 

"That was super childish of me, wasn't it" he murmured, 

"Mm, a little. Joshua said you bursted into tears when he called you out" Soonyoung said, Jeonghan sighed heavily. 

"I think I need to find a new job" he said quietly, 

"What? No way" Soonyoung said, "look, I came to find you because I needed to tell you something" he said, Jeonghan glanced at him. And he looked a little nervous, rubbing his hands on his shorts and nodding to himself as he built up the nerve to say whatever he was going to say. "I've been dating Jihoon secretly" he said, Jeonghan stared for a moment. 

"Ji...Jihoon, as in, our manager Jihoon? Short guy?" Jeonghan said, Soonyoung laughed. 

"Yeah, him" he said, Jeonghan sat up straighter. 

"Wh-when did this happen? Why didn't you tell us?" he asked, Soonyoung shrugged. 

"Well, at the time he was still only a CPA and I was a project accountant. Workplace romance isn't allowed, unless you're on a different payroll. He was trying to get transfered to the next office over so we wouldn't have to keep hiding, but then Youngmin made him our project manager and it was all down the drain" Soonyoung explained, Jeonghan frowned. 

"I'm so sorry, that's awful" he said, 

"It's not so bad, at least I get to see him all the time" Soonyoung said, "but my point is, the reason Seungcheol didn't take that promotion was because of you. And he kept it a secret for your sake too, he doesn't let on but he knows a lot more about you than you think" he said, Jeonghan's lips parted in surprise. 

"What? Why would he do that? He hated me-" 

"Ah, you hated him first, remember? He did all that stuff to get your attention, because he likes you-" Jeonghan's brain was stuttering, "so when he got offered a position higher than you, he refused. I'm pretty sure once you closed yourself off he gave up trying to get on your good side, but he didn't want to be your boss because then you'd never want to get along with him" Soonyoung went on, 

"Wait, how-how do you know all this? How are you so sure he likes me or he did any of that for me?" Jeonghan asked, really hoping he had a way around all of it. Because if it was true, Jeonghan had some serious evaluating to do. And he wasn't sure if he was ready for that just yet. 

"Because I'm friends with everyone, duh. I put it all together when Junhui told me about the note he left in the macarons, the ones he wanted to give you on your birthday. He chickened out at the last minute and gave them to Junhui, who found the note Seungcheol forgot to take out" Soonyoung explained, 

"A...note" Jeonghan said carefully, Soonyoung nodded. 

"He was finally gonna ask you out, but he lost his nerve" he said, Jeonghan swallowed dryly. What was he supposed to do? He just made an absolute fool of himself in front of Seungcheol, pissed off Joshua, and the very idea of a crush on Seungcheol made all of Jeonghan's anger and betrayal deflate. He was only running on embarrassment and confusion now. 

"What am I gonna do..?" Jeonghan whispered, curling his hands together and pressing them against his forehead. 

"Make the first move, casanova" Soonyoung said, Jeonghan turned a glare on him. 

"Don't make fun of me" he said, 

"I'm serious Hannie, if you like him, then make the first move. This poor sap has been crushing on you for years, and all you've done is make his life miserable. It'd make his millennium if you made a move on him" Soonyoung said, Jeonghan pushed his bottom lip out. Soonyoung was right, but the thing Jeonghan was having trouble coming to terms with was...did he like Seungcheol? Did he really? Sure he was tall and hot, and he had a cute laugh and he was actually really sweet and shy. He was absolutely Jeonghan's type, and before this trip the issue had been that...Jeonghan was a sore loser. He was super insecure. Why did Seungcheol still like him? Why did Seungcheol like him in the first place? Soonyoung punched Jeonghan in the side of the head gently, 

"Hey" Jeonghan complained, 

"Stop thinking so hard Hannie" Soonyoung said, Jeonghan frowned. Soonyoung grinned, gaze lighting up. "Tell me, your troubles and doubts. Giving me everything, inside and out" Soonyoung sang, Jeonghan snorted, shoving him. "Come on, what's the issue?" Soonyoung asked, laughing now. 

"What isn't the issue? I'm a petty bitch and Seungcheol is a sweetheart I've tormented for the past few years, don't you think it'd be weird if I suddenly came onto him?" Jeonghan asked, 

"I dunno, you guys have talked before, why not talk about this? I know you've got your hang ups, but I think it's time you pulled up your big boy pants and worked through them" Soonyoung said, Jeonghan mulled his words over. 

"When did you get so smart?" he asked, 

"Please, do you know me?" Soonyoung grinned, Jeonghan punched him in the arm and Soonyoung snickered. 

"Man...I'm really gonna have to swallow my pride, huh?" Jeonghan sighed, 

"Yup, and maybe your snarkiness too" Soonyoung said, Jeonghan shoved him again. 

"We were having a moment" he complained, Soonyoung cackled. 

"Yeah, yeah" he said, they sat in silence for a moment. "Ya know, Joshua was really peeved when you left" Soonyoung said, that was one more thing Jeonghan didn't want to deal with. 

"I should apologize to him, he was only trying to help" he said, a frown touching his lips. 

"Probably, but dinner is going to be starting soon" Soonyoung said, Jeonghan took a deep breath. Well, this was going to be a better time than any. 

"Wanna help me pick an outfit?" Jeonghan asked, Soonyoung clapped his hands together as he grinned. 

"I thought you'd never ask, Jeonghannie" he squealed, Jeonghan couldn't help the endeared smile. He really had to do this, it was time to stop feeling sorry for himself. It was time to make things right, the proper way...

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Seungcheol had some how wound up at Joshua's table with the rest of team b. After seeing Jeonghan burst into tears like that, he wanted nothing more than to chase after him. But when Soonyoung had come running out, telling him to let him handle it, he felt like he didn't have a choice. So there he was, a glass of whiskey in his hands. 

"So he just stormed off like that?" Seokmin asked, 

"He was just throwing a tantrum" Minghao said, "he'll be over it by tomorrow" he said, 

"I don't know, he seemed really upset" Seungkwan said, looking a little guilty. 

"He'll get over it, he always does" Joshua said, 

"What upset him, if I'm allowed to ask" Seungcheol said carefully,

"You" Minghao said bluntly, Seungcheol blinked. 

"What he means is, something about you upset him" Seokmin explained further, 

"I don't think it's such a good idea to talk about this without Jeonghan here" Vernon said, 

"I-I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries" Seungcheol said, 

"You're not" Joshua said, "I'm tired of this stupid rivalry, we were drinking buddies once and guess what?" he tossed back the rest of his drink with a hiss, "we're drinking buddies again, toss it back, go" he reached over, lifting Seungcheol's glass for him. 

"The last time we all drank together was three years ago on Christmas Eve, you challenged me to a drinking contest. And we tied" Minghao said, lifting his glass and gesturing at Seungcheol with it. "I want a rematch" he said, Seungcheol wasn't one to drink his problems away. But it had been a long time since he genuinely spent time with the b team, so with a sigh Seungcheol tossed back his whiskey. He hissed when it burned its way down his throat, 

"Alright, don't be mad when I win, werewolves have a high tolerance" Seungcheol said, 

"Please, I drink a bottle of whiskey just to sleep at night" Minghao grinned, "keeps the dreams away" he tapped on his temple, 

"I'll go get a bottle" Seokmin sighed, 

"Two" Seungcheol corrected, Minghao's grin widened. 

"This is sweet...but I'm gonna keep the nurse on speed dial just in case" Seungkwan said, from the moment Seokmin returned with two bottles of vodka the night was a blur. They took shots and laughed, and it felt just like the first few months after Seungcheol joined the company. Care free, comfortable...friendly. 

They were about half a bottle in, each, when Seungkwan gasped. Seungcheol choked on his shot, coughing raggedly. 

"Dinner is starting! I didn't even have time to change" Seungkwan lamented, 

"We need to go, we've gotta-" Joshua hiccuped, "we've gotta go" he said, shoving at Seungcheol who was on the outside of the booth. Seungcheol climbed out and stumbled just a little, 

"Wait, I need Wonwoo and Mingy...Mingyu, I meant Mingyu" Seungcheol blinked a few times, shaking his head. "Ah, Junhui and Jihoonie too, where are they?" he searched his pockets for his phone as the rest of them climbed out of the booth, 

"We'll get them on the way, dude" Minghao tried to shove Seungcheol with his body, but considering Seungcheol was built and Minghao was lithe he sort of just bounced off Seungcheol and smacked into Seokmin. "When did that wall get there?" Minghao murmured, 

"Um, I'm gonna go find the others, we're gonna need more babysitters" Seungkwan said before scurrying off, Seungcheol turned and looked at Vernon. 

"You think Jeonghan is gonna go?" Seungcheol asked, a bit sluggish. Vernon patted him the shoulder, 

"Sure buddy" he said, Seungcheol smiled and then blinked, looking at his hands. 

"Was I wearing gloves?" he asked, Vernon grimaced a bit. 

"Oh boy..." he sighed, Seungcheol only stared at his hands. Gloves...

~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~

Jeonghan was a confident person despite his insecurities. He was secure in the fact that he knew he was attractive and had proved it time and time again. But right then, dressed in nothing but a pair of tight jeans, flip flops, and a white button down that was a size too big, he was a little nervous. He kept wiping his hands on his legs as he and Soonyoung walked along the stone path to the beach where dinner and dancing would be held. They had already received texts from the others, they would all be attending. So there Jeonghan was, ready to do his best to make things right and sweating immensely. Soonyoung hadn't changed, since his swim trunks and a t shirt were fine for the beach. In fact, Jeonghan was the one that looked kind of out of place. But it was too late, he could already see the shore and the burning torches they'd put around a few dozen blankets. It wasn't super crowded but it did take them some time to find their group. And when they did, Jeonghan wanted to leave. 

Minghao was trying to do a handstand and failing miserably, Junhui was cackling on the blanket they were supposed to be having dinner on. Mingyu was sprawled in the sand, and the sand around him depicted his failure to do his own hand stand. Wonwoo was snoozing in the sand nearby, Chan was chanting 'go' over and over again to urge Minghao on. Joshua and Seungcheol were taking turns blowing bubbles into their cups of water. Seungkwan, Seokmin, and Vernon were sat on the blanket watching the chaos with varying degrees of worry and amusement. 

"What is happening?" Jeonghan asked, inching his way to the three people that hadn't seemed to have lost their minds. 

"Oh, Hannie, Soonyoung, hey" Seungkwan said, 

"Hi, are they on drugs?" Jeonghan asked, plopping down beside Vernon. 

"Uh, something like that, Minghao challenged Seungcheol to a drinking competition. Everyone else just kinda...went along with them" Seokmin explained, 

"Man, how much did they even drink?" Soonyoung asked, joining them on the blanket. 

"Um, well, Seungcheol and Minghao had most of a bottle of vodka each. The others were already half way to shit faced when we found them" Seungkwan said, Jeonghan glanced at Seungcheol for a long moment. He was giggling as the bubbles in his cup over flowed, Joshua was giggling along with him. Jeonghan smiled, 

"A couple days ago half of these guys wouldn't even sit in the same room as each other without starting a fight" he said, 

"Yeah, it's nice...so, you figure out what you're gonna do about Seungcheol?" Seokmin asked, Jeonghan took a deep breath. 

"Well, I talked to someone pretty smart-" he glanced at Soonyoung who was snickering at Minghao's third attempt at a hand stand, "and they gave me some good advice" Jeonghan said, 

"Which is?" Vernon prompted, 

"Make a move on him" Jeonghan answered, 

"You're gonna seduce Seungcheol?" Seokmin asked, they all looked toward the man in question just as he tipped his cup too far back, pouring it down his shirt some. He choked and coughed, Joshua snorted and busted up with laughter. 

"That may be kind of impossible right now" Seungkwan said, 

"He's lit up like the fourth of July" Vernon said, Jeonghan nodded slowly. 

"That he is" he sighed, "well, at least I won't have to practice my calm face anymore" he said, 

"You practiced a calm face?" Seungkwan asked, Jeonghan nodded solemnly. 

"Let me see" Seokmin prompted, Jeonghan took a breath and then pressed his expression into what he hoped was calm. Joshua came over, stumbling a bit. He squinted down at Jeonghan, 

"Why do you look so constipated?" he asked, Jeonghan let his expression fall into a frown. 

"So much for calm" Seungkwan said, Joshua dropped himself right between Jeonghan and Soonyoung, leaning back on his palms. 

"What time's this dancing supposed to start?" Joshua asked, 

"Any minute now, we were supposed to be enjoying dinner in the meantime though" Seungkwan said, gesturing at the cute picnic basket that looked like it had been torn into by wild animals. 

"At least they look like they're having fun" Seokmin said, 

"And you're ALL about to have fun" a voice said behind them, Seungkwan jumped and Vernon cursed. Jeonghan whipped his head around at the sudden appearance of Eric. Who they hadn't seen all day. He was crouched behind them, dressed in another awful hawaiian print shirt. 

"What ARE you!?" Joshua cried, falling back onto the sand. 

"Sorry, ignore him, he's very, very drunk" Jeonghan said, patting Joshua on the face gently. 

"What-what did you mean by we're all gonna have fun?" Soonyoung asked, Eric bounced to his feet. 

"It means, we are ten seconds to dance time!" he called, cheers went up as a man in a nice black outfit finally approached the DJ booth by the water. 

"How does he do that?" Seungkwan whispered, 

"He's like a really tacky ghost" Jeonghan muttered, everyone around them began to stand, cheering and clapping as the DJ introduced himself as DJ Xiao. And then a song with way too much bass and electronic vocals began playing. 

"Is this a young people's resort? I didn't know this was that kinda resort" Joshua said, rolling over and shaking the sand off himself. Junhui cheered, jumping impossibly high as everyone on the beach began to congregate. Jeonghan got up as his friends, mostly the drunks ones, began to sway and bounce to the music. He helped Joshua up, who, once on his feet, twirled into Jeonghan's arms with a few clumsy steps. Jeonghan wrapped his arms around him, swaying them back and forth with a laugh. Jeonghan could see Vernon pulling Seungkwan up and around, both of them giggling like high schoolers as they fell into each other. Jeonghan smiled, resting his chin on Joshua's shoulder as he watched them. 

Jeonghan had dated once in a while, he'd slept around and had his fun. And granted, a lot of those one night stands had left him a little less than satisfied. In spite of that it had worked for him for a long time, he wasn't ready to date seriously or try the whole settling down thing. And yet, watching them step and dance together like all they wanted was to be that close forever, Jeonghan couldn't help but...want that. Joshua twisted out of Jeonghan's arms, turning to take his hands and swing them together, nearly smacking into each other. Joshua laughed, smiling widely as he wrapped his arms around Jeonghan again. 

"What're you thinking about?" Joshua asked, Jeonghan pursed his lips. 

"Mermaids, the Loch Ness monster...about how I was a shitty friend and I'm sorry" he said, Joshua smiled again. 

"Don't worry about it, I should have been a better friend too. I know you were feeling insecure and sad because you're in love with Cheollie" he said, Jeonghan barked a laugh, ears burning. 

"I'm not in love with him....but, I do like him" it was the first time Jeonghan had really admitted it, and the look in Joshua's eyes was bursting with an emotion Jeonghan couldn't quite pinpoint. 

"My Jeonghannie is all grown up now, huh?" Joshua said, cupping Jeonghan's face and squishing his cheeks. 

"I guess so" Jeonghan said, voice muffled. Joshua let go and grabbed Jeonghan by the shoulders, 

"Now, go, become a man" Joshua spun him around, shoving him forward. Jeonghan stumbled, 

"What?" he laughed, Joshua pointed past him and Jeonghan glanced in the direction he was pointing. While all of their friends had fallen into their own rhythms and pairs, Seungcheol stood off to the side by himself. Just sort of swaying, his head tipped back a bit. He was looking at the moon and between the torchlight and moonlight he looked gorgeous. Jeonghan took a breath to steel himself, "wish me luck" he breathed, 

"How do I do that?" Joshua asked, Jeonghan ignored him and finally made his way over. Seungcheol didn't notice him at first, not until Jeonghan touched his shoulder. He turned, blinking owlishly at him. And when he realized who he was looking at he smiled so fully that his eyes squinted and his rosy cheeks filled out. Jeonghan swallowed dryly, 

"Wanna dance?" he asked, Seungcheol blinked again and then paused. Then he leaned in close to Jeonghan's face, 

"I don't know how to do that" Seungcheol whispered, Jeonghan really wished they hadn't let him drink so much. 

"It's alright, um...I can show you" he offered, reaching to take Seungcheol's hands. Jeonghan was both delighted and ashamed to discover that he really was as warm as he'd expected. Maybe even more so thanks to the alcohol in his system. Jeonghan forced himself to focus, but before he had a chance to do much else he noticed that Seungcheol had sort of just...stopped. He was staring at his hands in Jeonghan's. Aside from the fact that Seungcheol had broader shoulders and stronger limbs than him, he and Jeonghan were about the same height. Even their hands were similar, though Jeonghan's fingers were a little slimmer. "You okay?" Jeonghan asked, Seungcheol blinked a few times, bringing himself back to reality it seemed. He glanced at Jeonghan, a shy smile touching his lips. 

"Yeah I just...I need to tell you something, but-" Seungcheol glanced around, frowning at the close proximity of all the resort goers. "So many people..." he murmured, Jeonghan cocked his head a bit. 

"We can go further up the beach, by the water, there will be less people there" he pointed out, Seungcheol nodded. So with one of Jeonghan's hands gripped tightly in his he ran down the beach, Jeonghan trying to keep up behind him. Once Seungcheol deemed them safe enough from prying eyes, he stopped and face Jeonghan again. 

"Okay...okay" Seungcheol said, he took a deep breath, blowing it out into his cheeks before nodding to himself. "Hannie- er, Jeonghannie, wait" his eyes widened, "am I allowed to call you that?" he asked in a conspiratory whisper, Jeonghan pressed his lips together. Drunk Seungcheol was way too cute, it wasn't fair. Jeonghan bit back his laughter and nodded, 

"Yes, you can call me Jeonghannie" Jeonghan said, Seungcheol broke into a grin. 

"Okay, Jeonghannie" he said, as if he were savoring the sound. "I know you hate me-" 

"I don't hate you Seungcheol" Jeonghan corrected immediately, Seungcheol blinked and then his expression softened. "I'm really sorry I made you think I hated you, and I really hope you remember this in the morning but...this was all my fault. If I hadn't let my insecurity get the best of me then maybe we would have been friends, and the office wouldn't have been in such disarray" Jeonghan shook his head, "you're a really good head officer, and...and you'd make an even better manager, you should take the promotion Youngmin offered you" he said, Seungcheol processed Jeonghan's words sluggishly. But once he seemed to have taken it all in his lips parted in surprise, 

"How did you know about that?" he asked, 

"Uh, a little bird told me" Jeonghan said, Seungcheol narrowed his gaze. 

"Which bird?" he asked, Jeonghan giggled quietly. 

"Don't worry about the bird, worry about your promotion. Manager, wow" he said, smacking Seungcheol gently on the shoulder. And while Jeonghan, if he were in Seungcheol's shoes, would have been ecstatic, Seungcheol looked...pensive. 

"Hannie, I don't want to be manager, I don't want to tell you what to do" he said, looking kind of upset. Jeonghan let the nickname slide, 

"Alright, then you don't have to take it. But only if you really don't want it, not because you don't want to hurt my feelings. I'm a big kid now, I can take a few losses" Jeonghan said, though it did pain him to do so. Seungcheol took Jeonghan's hands again, squeezing them. Seungcheol looked troubled, he kept trying to meet Jeonghan's gaze and failing. 

"Hannie...you really don't hate me, right?" Seungcheol asked, and he looked so genuinely concerned that it made Jeonghan's heart squeeze. 

"Of course not, Seungcheol" he assured him, 

"Okay, then you can't get mad if I tell you something" Seungcheol said, it was such a childish thing to say that Jeonghan was biting back another smile as he nodded. "Good, okay...Hannie, I have a big, fat crush on you. I wanna hold your hand and kiss you, I really like your laugh and when you're not angry at me you're really funny and pretty-" he was rambling and Jeonghan barely had the heart to stop him, but he did. 

"I know Cheollie" he said softly, Seungcheol gasped as if he'd been slapped. 

"How did you know? Who told you? Was it the bird again?" he narrowed his gaze and Jeonghan threw his head back as he laughed, 

"Yes, it was the bird, but it's alright" he said, "I have a big crush on you too" he smiled, Seungcheol's mouth fell open. And then he pursed his lips a little, 

"A big, fat crush?" he asked, Jeonghan snorted. 

"Yes, a big, fact crush" he agreed, Seungcheol's smile was so full of unabashed happiness that Jeonghan melted a bit. 

"I know we haven't gone on a date yet, but...can I kiss you?" Seungcheol asked, whispering again. He could have asked for a lot more than that and Jeonghan couldn't be certain that he'd say no. But he nodded and Seungcheol reached up, sliding his hands along either side of Jeonghan's neck. The touch was innocent enough, but Jeonghan couldn't help the warmth that flushed him. Seungcheol cupped his face, drawing Jeonghan closer until he had no choice but to press right against him. Seungcheol was warmer than him, but it was nice out here by the water. And Jeonghan's face was heating the longer Seungcheol stared at him, mapping his features with his gaze. 

"You're beautiful..." Seungcheol whispered, Jeonghan made a soft noise, knees weakening. And finally, Seungcheol leaned in, eyes fluttering closed. Jeonghan closed his eyes, letting every worry and doubt flee him. Because nothing mattered right then, not a damn thing. Not when Seungcheol was kissing him, parting only far enough to breathe as he tried to fathom what exactly he was feeling. And certainly not when he was sliding an arm around Jeonghan, pulling him flush to his body like that's all he needed. He didn't kiss him again, though. And the first kiss had been far too feather light for Jeonghan's liking. He wanted Seungcheol to take what he wanted, but when Jeonghan peaked at him he found Seungcheol staring hard at Jeonghan's lips, a hard furrow in his brow. 

"Are you okay?" Jeonghan asked, resting a hand over Seungcheol's rapidly beating heart. 

"I know I'm super...super drunk right now, I don't want to forget this Hannie" he sounded heart broken, and Jeonghan felt his own heart ache at his tone. "Tomorrow, if this happened and you really like me, can you kiss me again?" he asked, Jeonghan stared at him for a long moment, breath rushing past his lips. 

"Choi Seungcheol, you are so impossibly sweet and big hearted. And I cannot figure out for the life of me why you want to date such a petty, snarky bitch like me but I will absolutely kiss you if you never leave me again" on a normal day, those words would have never left the vaults of Jeonghan's mind. But right then, when Seungcheol was laid so bare before him and Jeonghan knew there was a possibility he wouldn't remember, he had to do it. And the unnamed emotion in Seungcheol's gaze was worth it. He smashed his lips to Jeonghan's, and this time he kissed him with fervor, like it was the last thing he'd get to do. 

Jeonghan ran his hands up Seungcheol's chest, gripping his shirt and pulling him deeper into himself. He licked at Seungcheol's bottom lip, begging for entrance. And when Seungcheol parted his lips on a gasp, Jeonghan took what he wanted instead. Seungcheol was pliant, letting Jeonghan bite at his lips and suck at his tongue. And it was Seungcheol that finally pulled back, pupils blown wide and chest heaving for air. Jeonghan reached up, wiping some spit from the corner of Seungcheol's mouth. 

"I'll be honest...if you kiss me like that tomorrow, we're not leaving that hotel room" Seungcheol said, a slight growl in his voice. Jeonghan snickered, ignoring the bolt of pleasure just that sound alone sent through him. 

"Lesson number one of courting me Cheollie, if you say things like that I'll jump your bones without warning" he said, Seungcheol laughed breathlessly. And then he dropped onto his butt in the sand, he patted the spot beside him so Jeonghan joined him. They were facing the water and Jeonghan was momentarily distracted by the push and pull of the water, each wave glittering with moonlight. Seungcheol fell back into the sand, reaching up and drawing Jeonghan into the space beside him, an arm wrapped around him. Jeonghan wiggled onto his side, slinging an arm over Seungcheol and resting his chin on his chest to peer up at him. Seungcheol was watching the sky, and Jeonghan was watching him. 

Jeonghan couldn't help but think that he'd made a big mistake making an enemy out of Seungcheol. He could have had a friend, or the next best thing. This. He really hoped Seungcheol didn't wake up tomorrow and suddenly change his mind, because Jeonghan wanted this. It was in his grasp, and their past could rip it right out of his hands. Jeonghan didn't want that. For the first time in a while, Jeonghan wanted to be selfish. Aside from the safety of the office, Jeonghan really knew what he wanted. And he wanted Seungcheol.

"Hey...you think this is a dream?" Seungcheol asked suddenly, peering down at Jeonghan where he was still resting against his chest. 

"If it was a dream then Lee Minho would be doing the hula naked right now" he answered, Seungcheol snorted and then busted up. He wrapped his arms around Jeonghan and hauled him fully across his body, pressed closer than two people should be considering how warm they both were now. 

"So if we start dating, and you meet Lee Minho...would you leave me for him?" Seungcheol asked, amusement bright in his gaze. Jeonghan curled his arms around Seungcheol's head, hovering over him. 

"Absolutely" Jeonghan said, grinning. Seungcheol cackled this time, and unfortunately there was some yelling that was getting closer. Jeonghan looked up as Junhui and Wonwoo came running toward them, stumbling in the sand and into each other. Junhui fell about a foot away moments later, 

"Cheollie, man, Cheollie you're not gonna believe this-" 

"Vernon and Seungkwan are dating" Wonwoo finished, wheezing a bit as he leaned on his knees beside them. Junhui sat up, stared at them, seemed to take in their position and then gasped dramatically. 

"Are you two dating?" he asked, Seungcheol looked at Jeonghan. 

"Are we?" Seungcheol asked, brow raised. 

"Have you asked me yet?" Jeonghan asked, 

"Ah, Yoon Jeonghan, would you like to go on a date with me?" Seungcheol asked, he seemed a little more sober now. Jeonghan smiled, 

"I would love to, how does right now sound?" he asked, 

"I think that sounds perfect" Seungcheol said, Wonwoo sniffled suddenly. They both glanced at him, there were full tears rolling down his face. 

"So-so much love...it's so cute, Cheollie...Cheollie finally has a boyfriend, oh god" he bursted into full on sobs, Junhui reached out to Wonwoo. In the clumsy attempt to comfort him, though, he tried to get to his feet and accidentally kicked Seungcheol in the side of the head. 

"Oh my god" Jeonghan gasped, Seungcheol groaned as he rolled over, taking Jeonghan with him. Seungcheol leaned over Jeonghan on one elbow, rubbing the side of his face with his free hand. 

"Oh shit, sorry Cheollie, is your face okay?" Junhui asked, stumbling toward them. 

"Ah, he's fine, he's fine" Jeonghan sat up, fending them off with outstretched hands. "Why don't you just go back to the group, give them the good news" he said, 

"Oh, the goods news!" Wonwoo wailed, Junhui gave him a thumbs up though. He turned and put an arm around Wonwoo, guiding him back to the party. Jeonghan sighed, 

"I didn't know Wonwoo was such an emotional drunk" he said, Seungcheol sat up. 

"Yeah, one time he cried because he found out that Bugs Bunny wasn't real" he said, still rubbing his face. Jeonghan peered at him, 

"Does it hurt?" he asked, 

"Kinda, but I'm definitely sober now" Seungcheol said, blinking and then glancing at Jeonghan. "If this is really our first date, we should do something" he said, 

"Like what?" Jeonghan asked, 

"You offered to teach me how to dance, remember?" Seungcheol said, he climbed to his feet and then offered his hands to Jeonghan. 

"I offered that to very drunk baby Seungcheol, more sober adult Seungcheol should know how to dance" he said, but he took Seungcheol's hands anyway. Seungcheol pulled him to his feet and then against his chest, pulling Jeonghan's hands up so that they would rest on his shoulders. 

"Well lucky for you, more sober adult Seungcheol at least knows how to slow dance" Seungcheol said, smiling as he rested his hands on Jeonghan's waist. 

"Classy" Jeonghan said, 

"I learned at my high school prom" Seungcheol said, a bit sheepish. 

"Let's just call it romantic and leave it at that" Jeonghan said, 

"Deal" Seungcheol said, and then he lead the way. They danced more or less in sync, though they did falter a few times because of the sand. But it was...nice. Comfortable, even.  
They must have lost track of time, because before long the DJ wished them a good vacation and bid them good night. The guests were being directed back to the resort, 

"We should go back to our room" Jeonghan said, pulling away from Seungcheol. 

"Yeah, it's late" Seungcheol agreed, he reached for Jeonghan's hand though. And while Jeonghan blushed like a grade schooler, he let him curl their fingers together. They didn't even bother going to look for the others, they just followed the crowd. Jeonghan watched his feet a bit as they walked, just sort of letting the night play through his mind. He was so lost in the memory of Seungcheol and the beach that when they reached their room he was kind of surprised. Jeonghan let go of Seungcheol's hand to get his key card out, but when he reached to open the door Seungcheol gently took both his hands, turning him around. "Can I give you a goodbye kiss?" he asked, Jeonghan raised a brow. 

"What are you talking about?" he asked, 

"You know, at the end of a date. A good bye kiss" Seungcheol explained, now Jeonghan understood. 

"You could, or...I could invite you in, like adults" he said, smiling coyly. Seungcheol seemed to be floundering, so Jeonghan put the key card in the door and pushed it open. Then he reached out, taking Seungcheol by a handful of his shirt and drawing him into their dark room. Once inside, Jeonghan kicked the door closed and pushed Seungcheol against it slowly, afraid he'd startle him. He pressed himself up close, blowing air across his lips so he could feel just how close he was looming. 

"Are you sure about this?" Seungcheol asked, Jeonghan could only make out the vague shape of him in the moonlight that happened to trickle in through their window.

"Wanna know a secret?" he asked, dragging a hand down Seungcheol's chest. Jeonghan could feel the way his breath stuttered beneath his palm, 

"What?" Seungcheol asked, voice breathy as Jeonghan continued to drag his hands innocently across Seungcheol's chest and sides. 

"I've jerked off to you before, I could only imagine what you'd be like but just the idea was enough to get me off" Jeonghan said softly, and he could feel the way Seungcheol tensed all over. And it was like the snap of his fingers. Seungcheol grabbed Jeonghan by the hips, forcing him back a few clumsy steps before the backs of his legs hit the bed. Jeonghan fell onto it willingly, heart speeding up as Seungcheol descended on him. 

Their kiss earlier had been tentative, bridging the gap between them in a single moment. But this was nearly ravenous, desperate to get closer, to take. It was exactly what Jeonghan had wanted. Seungcheol biting and pulling, growling when Jeonghan whimpered. When he finally pulled back, still bracketing Jeonghan with a leg on either side of him, Jeonghan could feel the flush in his face down to his chest, his cock was twitching in his pants. 

"Don't stop" Jeonghan breathed, Seungcheol licked his bottom lip. He reached down and undid the buttons of Jeonghan's shirt, his moves far more careful than they had been moments ago. Jeonghan arched his back, sliding his arms free of his shirt so that Seungcheol could toss it aside. And while Jeonghan had expected him to continue where they left off, Seungcheol only stared at him. Dragging his gaze along Jeonghan's exposed chest up to his neck and finally his face. 

"You're gorgeous" Seungcheol breathed, Jeonghan keened softly, arching a bit. Begging to be touched, to have Seungcheol's hands on him. To get anything he could get. 

"Kiss me, please" Jeonghan begged in a single breath, and Seungcheol obliged. He returned with that same vigor, but this time his hands wandered. They brushed down Jeonghan's sides, warming him. Up his stomach to his chest, thumbing at his nipples. Jeonghan whined, writhing at the sharp sensitivity that came with the touch. Seungcheol kissed along Jeonghan's jaw, shifting each leg into the space between Jeonghan's until he could slide his arms around Jeonghan's waist and lift him off the bed. Jeonghan grinded against Seungcheol's crotch, and the growl it elicited sent shivers along Jeonghan's spine. Seungcheol kept Jeonghan suspended with one arm, kissing at his neck as he used his free hand to undo Jeonghan's pants. It took some wiggling and shifting, but they hardly parted in the process of getting Jeonghan's pants and underwear off. Seungcheol laid Jeonghan down, straightening up to divest himself of his own clothes. Jeonghan's gaze was drawn immediately to Seungcheol's torso, all pale, rigged muscle. Seungcheol undid his pants and shoved them down to his thighs, revealing a bulge in his underwear. Jeonghan could have drooled at the size, and then he realized something. 

"We don't have lube" he said, jaw falling open. Seungcheol didn't seem fazed, however. He met Jeonghan's gaze, expression far too serious for the matter. 

"I have a tongue that works just fine" Seungcheol said, Jeonghan whimpered, thighs pressing together as his cock twitched hard. At full attention now. Seungcheol didn't waste a moment of time, he gripped Jeonghan's thighs and hiked them up. "Hold these for me" he said, a slightly startled laugh left Jeonghan's lips. 

"Very romantic" he said, gripping his thighs and spreading himself for Seungcheol who scooted down the bed a bit for easier access. 

"Don't complain when I'm between your legs" he said, Jeonghan wiggled his ass a bit. 

"Then get on with it" he said, Seungcheol bit Jeonghan's left thigh, startling another noise out of him. 

"The only thing I want to hear out of you is my name" Seungcheol growled, Jeonghan caught his bottom lip between his teeth. Seungcheol pressed a kiss to the furl of Jeonghan's hole, Jeonghan sighed as he relaxed. There had been a few men who claimed to be the master of this, Jeonghan had been thoroughly underwhelmed each time. But as Seungcheol began flattening his tongue and laving spit against him, Jeonghan felt his cock drooling against his abdomen. And when he began eating him out like a man starved, Jeonghan couldn't stop the noises from leaving his mouth. Gasps and mewls, hips rolling a bit. Until Seungcheol pinned them, of course. Seungcheol pressed his thumb into Jeonghan, his tongue slipping in alongside it. Jeonghan moaned, back arching since he couldn't fuck himself on Seungcheol's tongue like he wanted to. 

"Shit" Jeonghan gasped, Seungcheol stretching him carefully. It took way too long, but Jeonghan enjoyed every second of it. So much so, that by the time Seungcheol had three fingers buried in him he was ready to cry. He writhed and whined, "Cheollie, Cheollie please, kiss me, please" Jeonghan begged, Seungcheol slipped his fingers free and shifted up, letting Jeonghan lower his legs so that he could slot between them. He pressed opened mouthed kisses up Jeonghan's chest until he could kiss Jeonghan breathless again. 

Jeonghan slid his hands down Seungcheol's torso until he could pluck at the waist of his boxers, Seungcheol pulled away to breathe. 

"Need something?" he asked, Jeonghan huffed. 

"Come on" he groaned, Seungcheol chuckled and sat back. 

"It would be nice if you asked...or begged" he said, the look Seungcheol leveled on Jeonghan was dark and it made Jeonghan shiver with expectance. 

"You want me to beg? Give me a reason to" Jeonghan challenged, Seungcheol held Jeonghan's gaze as he pulled his boxers down, his cock falling free of their confines. Jeonghan's lips parted in surprise, Seungcheol was definitely beefier than Jeonghan but they were the same height. And yet...it was big, much bigger than Jeonghan's. Pink, flushed, and rock hard. Jeonghan wanted nothing more than to get his lips around him, but Seungcheol had other ideas. He leaned over Jeonghan, pushing his thighs up and apart again. Jeonghan shuddered as Seungcheol began to rut against him, his cock catching against Jeonghan's rim. He bit his lip, damn it. Seungcheol nipped at Jeonghan's neck, gripping his own cock and pressing the head slowly into Jeonghan, making him moan. "Yes...yes, please" he breathed, 

"Not good enough" Seungcheol murmured, he pulled out and began sucking a mark into Jeonghan's adam's apple. Jeonghan whined, reaching down and dragging a finger along the side of Seungcheol's cock. He tensed, growling against Jeonghan's throat. 

"Come on, fuck me, please. I know you want to" Jeonghan rutted up against Seungcheol, 

"What if I don't? I could just jerk myself off and leave you like this" Seungcheol said, Jeonghan whined, grabbing at Seungcheol desperately. 

"Please, don't" Jeonghan begged, "I want your cock, please Cheollie" he mewled, Seungcheol huffed. 

"Hold on tight" he murmured, he slid his arms beneath Jeonghan and hiked him up against his thighs. With a few well aimed shifts Seungcheol sunk his cock into Jeonghan, a long, slow stretch that burned just right. Jeonghan's head fell back, pleasure making him tremble a bit. Seungcheol fit snugly inside him, and the way he held Jeonghan made him feel like nothing but a sleeve. And when he started fucking up into him, lifting him and holding him tightly, Jeonghan had no chance. High pitched cries pushed out of him with each deep thrust Seungcheol delivered, his cock just the right size to press into Jeonghan's prostate at almost every angle. At a particularly hard thrust Jeonghan cried out, precum dribbling from his cock as he tightened around Seungcheol. "Fuck" Seungcheol growled, hips stuttering. 

"Wanna cum" Jeonghan breathed, "harder" he begged softly, Seungcheol's arms tightened. And with a hard kick of his hips he picked up a harsh pace. Jeonghan moaned, voice wavering as he was bounced in Seungcheol's lap. 

"Ah, bite me" he panted, Jeonghan could barely keep his vision steady as his orgasm approached rapidly. But with another cry he lifted his head and bit into the juncture between Seungcheol's neck and shoulder, Seungcheol's hips stuttered hard, a long growl escaping him. Jeonghan could feel him cum, cock twitching. And before Jeonghan had the chance to complain Seungcheol wrapped a hand around his cock, jerking him to completion with a few harsh strokes. The orgasm was almost overwhelming and strong enough that Seungcheol had to hold him through it. 

Once they were spent and sprawled out on what Jeonghan had assumed was his bed, Seungcheol only let go of him to pull the covers them. Then Jeonghan was tucked right back into his arms, thoroughly satisfied and sleepy. 

"I'm definitely sober now" Seungcheol sighed, Jeonghan snorted. 

"Please go to sleep...and even if you remember this I'm still kissing you tomorrow" Jeonghan said, snuggling into his starchy, hotel pillow and letting himself fall asleep finally.


End file.
